Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November...

Saw V for Vendetta today. Excellent movie.

In case you don't know, it's about an anarchist who takes on the guise of Guy Fawkes and battles a dystopian fascist British government with acts of apparent terrorism. I seem to recall Jemima giving it "seven and a half potatoes out of ten." I'm not in the habit of applying numerical values to subjective experiences, but I'd say I'd rate it higher. Of course, I hadn't read the GN beforehand (yeah, there's no exuse for that) so I don't know how that would effect how I consider it.

In any case, the themes of restriction of freedom and terrorism prevalent in the story means there are things to talk about.

I've done a lot of thinking about anarchy lately. It's a pickle. Would I prefer it to an Orwellian government that could have me shot in the streets at the drop of a hat? No question. Would I prefer it to what we have now? That question is a bit tougher.

It has become clear to me that while a person can be trusted, people cannot. whether that means people you meet on the street or people in offices in the city or in our government. And the more power someone has, the less they are to be trusted. Which presents a paradox where government is concerned. In theory, the purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people. But it has been shown that just about every government that has ever existed is capable of infringing upon those rights. And as the money to fund election campaigns inevitably comes from deep pockets, the government naturally is slow to act when corporations infringe upon our rights.

The obvious question is that from the perspective of Natural Law, how can anyone have the right to govern anyone else? The common phrase is government at the consent of the governed, but I look around me and find little governing going on that I consent to.

On the other hand, our society has become dependant on government, and likely would not know how to function without it. And while governments are untrustworthy, they tend to be untrustworthy in a stable way, with some notable exceptions

It all boils down to the freedom versus safety thing.

Of course, the real answer is a form of government that protects the rights of its people and promotes the general welfare and nothing more, but don't hold your breath.

so basically what I'm putting forth is that people suck.

huh... there was an entirely different thing I was going to get into... erm. To Be continued...