A theoretical document from the people of the world to our governments. by Lasli Sher
(libertarian)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
THE WORLD DECLARATION OF PEACE
We, the peaceful people of all the nations on earth, address you, the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Monarchs, Chancellors, Rulers, and Dictators. We address you, the Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, Senators, Congressmen, Ambassadors, and the law-making bodies of all governments inclusively. We address you, the Governors, the Mayors, the Commissioners, and the Councilmen. We address those seeking office, and those who previously held office.
The duty of any government is to protect the citizens from violence, and to ensure the prosperity of the nation so that the citizens will not be left in need of food, water, and shelter. In addition, it is the duty of the government to ensure that there is work for the citizens, so that they may sustain themselves and their families independently, and contribute to the well-being of the society in which they live. A government that carries out these primary duties faithfully commands the respect and loyalty of the citizens. When these duties are not carried out as the primary function of the government, then the citizens suffer, and the society declines into lawlessness and immorality. It is not possible for an unqualified person to execute the responsibilities that are incumbent upon the ruler of a nation because the primary qualification for such a ruler is morality. An unqualified ruler does not know what is moral, and in such a position, will institute policies to the detriment of the country and to the detriment of the rest of the world as well.
You, the so-called leaders who have determined that economic development is of a higher priority than the protection and happiness of your citizens, we challenge your authority to rule. Yes, the economic development of a country is necessary, but never should it be determined a necessary evil, whereby you have calculated that there is an "acceptable" number of citizens who will be deprived of basic necessities or life itself to achieve those goals, either now or in the future.
You, who have determined to rule by instilling fear in your citizens, know that never was there a time when love, loyalty, or righteousness was won by fear. Your qualifications are known by your actions. You, who have determined that, as rulers, there is no higher authority than yourselves, or than the institutions empowered by, authorized by, and embodied by you and your counterparts, know that your lack of humility is a symptom of your lack of qualification to rule. The humble ruler knows well that he did not gain his position by his own efforts, and that he must accept the responsibility and the consequences of his failures.
You, who have discarded honor for the sake of power and privilege, know that power without honor causes nothing but destruction, and is manifested in the decline of values and morals in society. You bear the responsibility, alone and collectively, for the suffering endured by your citizens, and a portion also for the crimes committed by them. When your temporary position has ended, you cannot escape the continued reactions that began with your decisions.
You, who have the ability, by virtue of your position, to enlighten your citizens with the bare truth, choose instead to distribute misleading propaganda designed to coerce agreement for dishonest and dangerous policies. One can only come to the conclusion that either you are seriously ignorant of the truth, or criminal in your thinking. Neither condition is acceptable. Mankind has a right to the truth at all times, and if you cannot deliver it, then you have no claim to your position.
You, who accept as your council those who have their own self-interest at stake, at the expense of the majority of the people, and in spite of the suffering of millions, we challenge your integrity and your intelligence. When a leader protects one class of citizen at the expense of another, it is treasonous, and no qualified leader would engage in such behavior. That you do is an indictment of your corrupted values and your incompetence.
You, who have secretly relinquished your positions to others, who would manipulate and control the resources of the earth to their own benefit and profit, you have cursed us all with your cowardice. You have presented our real enemies to us as our friends, and presented our neighbors as our enemies. Your public veneer of resolve and determination to protect us from our enemies is as empty and hollow as your speeches, which contain many words but no substance. Either you do not know who our enemies are, or you are cooperating with them. In either case, you also have become our enemy. A leader who has become the enemy of his citizens has much to fear. Infamy is certain for such a person, and his generations that follow bear the stigma for him. Even today, rare is the person who carries the last name of Hitler with dignity.
When the world's richest leaders come together to decide what is best for the citizens, the citizens have the right to expect cooperation for the benefit of all citizens. You, who gather together to take advantage of world crisis', to leverage power against need, know that the trust you betray is greater than yourself, your power, or your position.As every person on this earth is but a servant, the leader is the servant of all, and a slave to no one except God.
You, who have indentured yourselves and your citizens to systems without consciences, be aware that you have paved our roads with innocent blood for the sake of riches that are useless to a starving man, or his sick father. The wealth of a nation, if not used responsibly, is not real wealth, but a plague which makes a country sick in the soul.
There are three things that should never be left unchecked: Fire, disease, and debt. If any of the three are not controlled, chaos, suffering, and death are the result. You, who have allowed people to suffer disease and death by withholding medical attention from the poor, it is your failure to provide for them that is the cause of their death.
You, who pride yourselves on the amount of money you send, but not the doctors, the facilities, and the structures to run them, knowing full well that the money and "aid" is being stolen by corrupt, greedy, insidious people, what is the source of your pride? What is your accomplishment? You have done nothing but throw gold in the ocean. Your huge military powers have the capability of overthrowing the demons on this earth, yet you do nothing but speak of your ill-fated "attempts". If you cannot, for the sake of goodness, provide life-saving food and medicine for starving countries that are being tortured by armed animals, how can you boast of being great? Who and what is preventing you, the greatest nations on earth, from disabling the pirates of Somalia, and the armed thieves and murderers there, and instilling peace through law and order? As already stated, your qualifications are known by your actions, and we know what is preventing you.
You, who have allowed the mismanagement of wealth to such an extent that entire countries are mortgaged three times over, your irresponsibility is appalling. A country in debt is a country enslaved. To whom have you enslaved us? We know who your masters are. Your masters are the systems without consciences, the nameless, faceless corporations and banks that speak and hear in infinite numbers. These are the unconscious gods you serve, and would have us serve indefinitely, and without recourse or address. They are unapproachable and above reproof or correction. You, who have been deluded into accepting them as the Supreme, know that they built the gates of hell, and you are their gatekeepers and loyal citizens, but we are not.
We, the peaceful people of the earth, expect and demand your cooperation in instilling peace across the globe. We expect and demand that you use your leadership to benevolently govern and protect the citizens of this earth from violence and starvation. We expect and demand that military forces be used as a defense against an act of aggression, but never as a force of power or dominance over an individual citizen or collectively against a country. We expect and demand that the government submit itself to the authority of truth, integrity, honesty, determination, courage, honor, and selflessness. We expect and demand that the earth's resources of water and food be protected by law as a right of every individual to share, with those able to work and earn a living left unhindered in their efforts, and those unable to work be shown compassion and charity. We expect and demand that an individual's right to wealth must never be greater than another person's right to life, food, or water, or the right to work. We expect and demand that you lead and govern according to moral principles, so that the world will benefit from your example, and so that your legacy, and ours, will be one of enlightenment, enrichment, and peace.
The Governed People of Planet Earth
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This would not seem to be from a libertarian perspective. Which people of the world would want to support this?
"The duty of any government is to protect the citizens from violence,
and to ensure the prosperity of the nation so that the citizens will not be left in need of food, water, and shelter. In addition, it is the duty of the government to ensure that there is work for the citizens, so that they may sustain themselves and their families independently, and contribute to the well-being of the society in which they live. "
The bold part of this paragraph is certainly not any liberatarian view I have heard. More like Marxism....
"and to ensure the prosperity of the nation so that the citizens will not be left in need of food, water, and shelter."
1. I wasn't aware there was some "libertarian" guideline for an article to be viewed on this webpage.
2. the author's statement above is hardly Marxist, in fact it is the lack of these necessities that has opened the door to Marxism historically. I have yet met a Libertarian that would wish its government to deprive its citizens of food, water and shelter. What are you, the tin man?
Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2009-04-01 18:24:36
Hi Lasli Sher, I am glad you are one of the sheep and not one of the leaders. Yikes. That was some offensive stuff you proposed in the name of way more people than you've a credible right to speak for. I object to your making any claim on my productivity, my property or my intellectual resources for any purpose whatsoever. Additionally, I object to your making any such claims against anyone, anywhere.
Benevolence is a trait exhibited by some individuals in several species. It is not a trait exhibited by governments, corporations, religions or any other societal structures created by Man. The reason our planet has come to its current state, where you are compelled to lecture away at abstractions, is because of the perpetual growth of government power at the expense of personal liberty and responsibility.
This trend towards government growth, generation after generation stands on two legs. First are the people who aspire to the bag of titles you spilled out. The second leg is the continual encouragement by people who believe in the fallacy of a benevolent government. Government is a mortal enemy to sheep; not a cartoon wolf that can be reasoned or goaded into becoming a good shepherd.
Government cannot protect anyone from anything. Not from violence, or disease, or bad breath or nosy neighbors. The government is not a protective agent for individuals any more than the lane markings on a highway protect drivers from head-on collisions.
If you want a shepherd for your leader it seems more likely by electing shepherds rather than electing wolves and trying to "expect and demand" they be good shepherds. Personally, I want leaders who are good administrators and accountants who are hell-bent on ensuring that government never provides the kind of world you demand.
You won't catch me pleading with today's congress to uphold our constitution but I'll work like crazy to see that our next batch of candidates at every local election do. Trickle up integrity is a real possibility if enough people eventually decide to get out and participate in their community. Trickle down benevolence is a destructive fantasy that relentlessly corrodes the defenses of our liberty. That incessant corrosion is one of the reasons the struggle for the defense of liberty is never-ending and never winnable. It is a struggle, after all...words have meanings.
Posted By: Rhode to Surfdom
Date: 2009-04-02 12:08:03
Lasli,
I'm with Jahfre on this one. "Yikes" is right.
If it were phrased "ensure 'the pursuit of' prosperity" it would be more in line with the traditional libertarian/American beliefs of the proper role of the federal government when it comes to providing benefits. As the text was written above I wouldn't be surprised if you may find some like-minded folks in the liberal or statist section of this site.
I do agree that the world could use some more peace in it, I just believe there are better ways of achieving it than powerful federal governments.
"Benevolence is a trait exhibited by some individuals in several species. It is not a trait exhibited by governments, corporations, religions or any other societal structures created by Man. The reason our planet has come to its current state, where you are compelled to lecture away at abstractions, is because of the perpetual growth of government power at the expense of personal liberty and responsibility."
Benevolence means the dispostion to do good, or an act of kindness. Are you suggesting that "no societal structures created by Man" are benevolent? If so, who's fault is that? If we elect people to govern us, then we also have the responsibility to elect people who reflect our values and morals. If none of our structures are benevolent, it means that WE are not benevolent, too. Why should that be an acceptable standard? We teach our children to be kind and to do good, and we try to set that same example, but we shouldn't expect that in our leaders, who wield power and authority?
Government has become huge in direct proportion to how corrupt it has become. A moral government IS a small government.
"Personally, I want leaders who are good administrators and accountants who are hell-bent on ensuring that government never provides the kind of world you demand."
You already have leaders like that. If you don't expect today's congress to uphold our constituion, you may not get the chance to insist upon it in the next election, because there might not BE a next election. Our liberty is being corroded because the government is corrupt NOW. You want to put out the fire after the building burns down?
You make a great point about the government being unable to protect it's citizens, though. The law's in this country prohibit violence, and we have a criminal justice system to deal with the offenders. We have a monstrous military who's duty it is to protect us from attack. And still, people are murdered and people have attacked us. Would you have us repeal the laws against murder and disarm our military? I doubt it. However, if the government used our military only as it was intended, and the law were administered properly, we would be as well protected as humanly possible. It doesn't take a giant military industrial complex to protect us from our enemies if we don't have any enemies, and it doesn't take a giant beauracratic justice system to administer justice to murderers if less murder was being committed. Benevolence to other nations and from one individual to another would go a long way to reducing the size of government.
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