Control my civil liberties, control me.
Unless you're either into illegal activities, or do things that
would encroach upon the freedom of others, you have nothing to worry about.
Why would you think it's crazy to want total personal liberty and total personal responsibility?
It's potentially dangerous.
It's like having a powerful car. Scared to go too fast and have an accident? Then don't push the accelerator down as far. Scared to become a drug addicted promiscuous scag? Then be careful what you take and who you sleep with. It's up to the individual to decide what they want and what they can handle.
Excellent analogy!
However, it's basic human nature to test the limits of our capabilities. You give people total freedom to do whatever they please, and they will take advantage of it.
Here's MY analogy:
Your local highway has a 55mph speed limit. The city decides to raise the speed limit to 75mph. Are you going to continue to go 55mph because "that's the way it was before"? Of course not. You're going to continue to "test the limits". The same rule applies to giving people total freedom.
But I don't see you pushing for laws controlling how powerful cars are allowed to be... are you?
No, there's need to.
Are you going to tell me I can't buy an Evo VIII - or a Hemi 'Cuda - because you don't think people can handle it?
Never said that. I am saying, though, that people who drive ANY car (whether it's an 88 horsepower 4-cyl, or a 627 horsepower 12-cyl) will take advantage of any opportunity they get once certain restrictions are lifted. Subconsciously, we do it everyday. When you drive through a densely populated area and the speed limits are lowered to about 30mph you'll usually stay around that speed. However once, the speed limit is raised to 45mph (for example) when you go from one road to another, I can guarantee that you're not going to continue at the same speed you were going before. You will undoubtedly accelerate to the new speed limit, and they cycle continues.
Ralph Nader to the rescue! Protect me from myself, so you don't have to feel scared.
I love a bit a satire, especially in a heated debate!
Lightens the mood.
Frankly, I have to ask, at the grave risk of sounding facetious: You're joking, right?
No, I am not joking. I try to avoid making jokes when talking about politics/religion because it is such a
sensitive subject.
because the Religious Right want nothing more than to remake society in the service of their ideology and doctrine. Be it the Christian Coalition or the Taliban... or "anything else".
Those are the extremists of the Right.
That was quite an ironic statement.
I don't see the irony of it. At all.
So... what about the numerous (disastrous) attempts to prune and shape it into some kind of whitebread Christian Conservancy or some radical Islamic Fundamentalist hegemony? Or "anything else"?
I'm glad you brought that up. It's just as dangerous.
The thing with civil liberties is that they protect the noncomformists and the individuals.
Sure it does. Yet at the same time it can cause more problems too.
MORE EXAMPLES:
Free speech: Good in theory. However, is it right to yell fire in a crowded theater? Is it right to burn a cross in an interracial couple's lawn?
Is it right to distribute hate material? I STRONGLY recommend you read the article linked because not only did this occur where I live, it helps to prove my argument.
You give people the opportunity to speak out about anything and everything AND THEY WILL ABUSE THE OPPORTUNITY. They will abuse their freedom. Maybe YOU (and this is a general "you", not specifically to you Duke
)are comfortable having racist letters in your mailbox -- I'm not.
All of the above examples in some way either incite violence/aggression/panic, and/or impinge on rights of others. The costs still outweigh the benefits.
Free to use whatever "substances" one chooses: Good in theory. Bad in practice. The government would not have outlawed certain drugs if it they thought they were "good" for people. Some say they would prefer the legalization of marijuana. I say, as I said before, the costs outweigh the benefits.
HERE's WHY FROM A PURELY ECONOMIC STANDPOINT:
Studies have shown that long-term usage of cannabis causes decreased IQ (not that I believe in IQ tests anyway
) and memory because
the drug decreases blood flow to the front areas of the brain.
Now I ask you this. Why would the government go through so much trouble subsidizing education in form of grants, loans, community colleges etc. if they wanted to make people (excuse for lack of a better term)
dumber? The more educated one is, the more they'll be able to contribute to the economy. And yes, I know that there are plenty of examples where people without any formal education have been able to contribute [a great deal] to the economy, however, the average lifetime income of a college graduate is considerably higher than that of a high school graduate -- hence the need for an education, and no dope.
Not to mention other effects of marijuana usage...
Criminal Justice rights:
ACLU
The rights guaranteed to criminal suspects, defendants, offenders and prisoners were not included in the Bill of Rights for the benefit of criminals. They are fundamental political rights that protect all Americans from governmental abuse of power. These rights are found in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. They include the guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure, the right to reasonable bail, the right to due process of law and the right to be free from cruel and unusual treatment. This "bundle of rights" is indispensable to a free society.
Right...
If there's a suspected terrorist trying to smuggle a bomb onto an airplane, who cares about "unreasonable search and seizure"?! A bomb is bomb. What's more important in this case? The right to a bit of privacy? Or savings lives? If you're not carrying bombs you have nothing to worry about.
I would comment more on the other amendments, but I have homework to do.
I will definitely be editing this post in the near future.
, socialism 
, or anything else. 
*tries to close can of worms*
