13 Dec
2004
13 Dec
'04
6:39 a.m.
On Mon, 13 Dec 2004, der Mouse wrote:
This reveals an apparent misconception. Restraints on
government are
often (I'd almost say "usually") more severe, not less so, than on
other entities like individuals and private corporations. (This is
because government is in a position of much more abusable power. Or at
least that's the theory; how true it remains in today's system is
arguable.)
(The extraordinary, planetary-scale, historically-recent power
of corporations wasn't forseen obviously. It will probably take
as long to recognize and implement "separation of business and
state" as it did 'church and state'. Oh woe is us.)
For example, the USA government is forbidden most
forms of censorship,
but private entities are not; a newspaper is perfectly free to censor -
to not print - any story, letter, or whatever that it cares to, for any
reason it pleases. (There are exceptions, but they are fairly narrow,
and from what I understand do not apply to individual cases, only to
patterns of behaviour.)
Why is it so often non-US citizens understand the US legal
system more than American citizens? It's sad, deplorable, etc
(hand-wave as obvious).