From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Mon Jul 07 2003 - 18:16:10 BST
Hi Rick,
> R
> Well, as far as I know, Robert M. Pirsig has never written the words
> "privacy is an intellectual value". But he did say...
>
> PIRSIG (LILA p430)
> Dhyana was what it was what this boat was all about. It's what he bought
> it for, a place to be alone and quiet and inconspicuous and able to settle
> down into himself and be what he really was and not what he was thought to
> be or supposed to be.... The most moral activity of all is the creation of
> space for life to move onward."
>
> R
> Catch that? Creating the kind of privacy that men need to think, the kind
> Phaedrus found on his boat (and presumably once his motorcycle) is THE MOST
> MORAL ACTIVITY OF ALL. Moreover, when Lila seeks privacy to sort out the
> problems of her life Phaedrus comments on the same page that "...the
> culture has a moral obligation not to bother her." And Lila's battle is
> everybody's battle, you know Platt?
I see what you're driving at. And I agree with the value of a place to be
alone and quiet, to let "the world . . . roll in ecstasy at your feet."
(Kafka). But I don't really see a connection to sodomy or how engaging in
sodomy is helpful in sorting out the problems of one's life.
> P
> > Incidentally, you added something to the
> > 10th Amendment by saying rights belong to the people "as individuals." Is
> > that addition the Court's interpretation of "people," or yours?
>
> R
> It's the only possible interpretation that makes sense. If "the people" is
> read to mean 'the state' than the amendment is pointlessly redundant
> (naming the same group twice under two different names for no reason at
> all). If "the people" is read to mean 'the federal government' than the
> amendment is nonsensical (stating that any rights not expressly reserved to
> the federal government are reserved to the states or the federal
> government). Equating "the people" with individual citizens is the only
> possible logical interpretation of the language. Unless you care to offer
> another alternative....
I will. I think the "people" means communities at a lesser level than the
state (as in 13/50 states) such as counties, towns, unions, etc. In fact,
I live in a little community that has its own set of rules and regulations
in which various individual liberties are restricted. If the 10th
amendment meant "individuals" it would have used the word "individuals" or
more specifically, "each citizen." The word "people" refers to more than
one person, i.e., groups.
> P
> But in his mind, that's
> > not the last word. He wrote that societies should "keep deciding." I
> > agree.
>
> R
> I agree too. And the Court is a part of our society that has a voice in
> the conversation just like every other mechanism of politics.
Agreement is good. :-)
Platt
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