R&E Political Discussion

R&E Political Discussion - Spring 2026
[ R&E Political Discussion - Spring 2026 ]

We are a creedal nation.

Posted by Arwen on May 11, 2026, 6:31 am

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch said in a recent interview:

"The Declaration of Independence had three great ideas in it. That all of us are equal; that each of us has inalienable rights given to us by God, not government; and that we have the right to rule ourselves. Our nation is not founded on a religion. It's not based on a common culture, even, or heritage. It's based on those ideas. We're a creedal nation."

One can argue where inalienable rights come from, but it would be extremely hard to successfully argue that we don’t have them as a part of our being as humans. Among them are the rights to life, liberty, and to pursue happiness.

After reading recent dissents by Justice Jackson, it is refreshing to know we have independent justices like Gorsuch that understand our creedal nature and judge based on our Constitution and not partisan rancor.

Some of our laws discriminate against humans, in favor of robots.

Posted by Ken C on May 11, 2026, 5:41 pm, in reply to "We are a creedal nation."

Humans do not have equal rights. Robot drivers are still allowed to violate some laws that humans get tickets for.

Maybe it's really about corporations being above the law while private citizens are discriminated against.

See my post here:

https://mb.boardhost.com/ReligionAndEthics/msg/1777665130.html

Robots have no rights.

Posted by Arwen on May 11, 2026, 9:04 pm, in reply to "Some of our laws discriminate against humans, in favor of robots."

But the people that build them do.

I wonder if all of us are equal. In theory ... maybe. In reality ... hogwash.

Posted by Mondo Fuego™ on May 11, 2026, 3:32 pm, in reply to "We are a creedal nation."

It all depends on what "being equal" means.

There are so many ways in which people are unequal and few in which they are equal.

The lazy bum on the street who refuses to work is no equal to hard-working parents who sacrifice for their children and keep food on the table and clothes on their backs for them.

"Pursuit of happiness" needs clarification. I don't think people are wholly motivated by the prospects of happiness.

What makes us happy? For how long. Does happiness achieved lead to taking it for granted?

I submit that lasting inner peace is to be preferred to ephemeral happiness.

Right to life? Right to your own life, but not that of others who are having a perhaps greater or better life. For some, life is no bargain.

Right to rule ourselves? An illusion at best. We are mostly followers of rules that we don't make.

That said, I am a grateful American because I think we think we have it better than anywhere else, and even if that is an illusion, it works pragmatically ... at least for me.

"Invictus"

By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

Mondo in 4 verses.

We are all equal in terms of what counts.

Posted by Arwen on May 11, 2026, 4:03 pm, in reply to "I wonder if all of us are equal. In theory ... maybe. In reality ... hogwash."

We all have 24 hours each day.

And the beauty of the right to pursue happiness, is we, as individuals, get to define what happiness means to each of us…..as long as that pursuit doesn’t interfere with the rights of others.

Maybe, but ...

Posted by Mondo Fuego™ on May 11, 2026, 4:51 pm, in reply to "We are all equal in terms of what counts."

... for some, 24 hours each day are pure hell.

Defining what is happiness and actually achieving it may be an insurmountable goal for some.

I'm just being argumentive*, but not disputatious, to see how others think. Sadly, far too few players on this board think at all. They regurgitate stale political babble in between expletives.

I admire your somewhat naive but wholesome outlook on life. You use it effectively.

* argumentive vs. argumentative ... meh
same as preventive vs. preventative

Save the extra "ta"s for "TaTa".

Tootles.

Sure, achieving it might be tough.

Posted by Arwen on May 11, 2026, 7:51 pm, in reply to "Maybe, but ..."

But pursuing it is everybody’s right.

Re: We are all equal in terms of what counts.

Posted by mender on May 11, 2026, 4:33 pm, in reply to "We are all equal in terms of what counts."

Big on the God created day and not
interfering with the rights of others.

One of the early in things Dad taught me
was: “Ifyou can help, lend a hand, if not,
get the hell out of the way.” Another one
that’s been quite useful: “If you can see
what the problem is, say something. If
not be quiet and listen.”

Not certain how long it has been the popular
practice, nor how prevalent it has become
on the world scope, but I remember that
the Beatles had, for a few years, been a
voice of half my generation.

:

Often times Music can be a unifying force.
Sounds as if today’s Music is not leading
today’s listening public to any place good

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[ R&E Political Discussion - Spring 2026 ]