>In a message dated 97-10-23 15:33:37 EDT, you write:
>
><<<<
> The federal government is the landlord of the
> property known as the United States. The rules
> of the landlord must be followed or penalty
> is effected. It is not coercion so long as
> you are free to leave the U.S. property if
> you have a problem with the contract. >>
>
>
>I've a problem with this...two things...
>
>One...who gave the federal government the property? Did they buy it? Did
>they steal it? Are you saying that theft is ok and confers ownership as long
>as it happend yesterday?
>
>Second thing...since the theft is an accomplished fact...then it ok as long
>as you can leave your wordly possesions in the hands of the theif and leave?
> Your money or your life?
"When does theft become property?" Is a touchy issue.
If the Federal government doesn't "really" own something because they
stole it decades ago, what's to stop a member of a racial minority from
claiming that I don't "really" own my car, because it was bought with
money from my job, which I obtained partially thanks to my education, which
I obtained partially due to my priviledged upbringing and parent's income,
which priviledge was partially due to race, because white people have
several economic and social advantages over other races in this country,
because our ancestors committed theft, forced slavery, and several other
crimes?
While ingenuity, hard work, etc., contribute to ownership, isn't there
always also a correlation with one-time theft, albeit sometimes abstracted by
quite a few layers?
-k.
<bold>_______________________________________________
</bold>Kristen Brennan
codewarrior princess
brennan@jitterbug.com
http://www.jitterbug.com/pages/brennan.html
"A developer is someone who wants to own
a house in the woods; An environmentalist is
someone who already owns a house in the woods."
-- Dennis Miller
<bold>_______________________________________________
</bold>