Countdown to Independence Day: #6 Respect individual sovereignty

Over the next several days leading up to Independence Day I will be posting the 10 steps that must be taken to preserve our great nation and the principles it was established on.  Each day will cover one of the steps as they appear in my book Liberty Inherited.  It is my hope that, in some small way, I can get Americans to start thinking of what they are on the verge of throwing away.  Today's posting covers step number #6.  I recommend reading the previous posts for step #1 through 5.  Please note that any additional comments that I add to the original text will be in italics.
 

6. Respect individual sovereignty

In his book The 5000 Year Leap Skousen explains that respect for individual rights has two parts. The first is that an individual receives those rights and the second is that other individuals are obligated not to trample on the rights of others.  It is one thing to complain that the government is trampling on your individual rights and freedoms but we need to recognize that we as individuals can sometimes step on the rights of other individuals. Therefore, I recommend that you practice the philosophy of share but respect. In other words, feel free to share your opinions and your views with others but be respectful of their views and opinions. If we believe in the freedom of speech then we must allow those who have opposing opinions the same freedom. If we believe in freedom of religion then we must allow those who practice different religions the same freedom. If we believe in private property we must allow others to enjoy their private property. Whatever we demand for ourselves we must allow for others. 

Unfortunately too many of us remember the first part but forget the second. Where I live I have seen Christian churches that demand the freedom of religion for themselves while simultaneously attempting to stop the establishment of a mosque in their area. Likewise, progressives who demand the freedom of speech and expression often fall short on tolerance when that same freedom of speech and expression is extended to views they disagree with. Individuals who claim to support private property are sometimes the first ones to tell someone else what to do with their property. In my opinion, the biggest threat to private property is not imminent domain but the self-appointed busybodies who go around telling other people what to do with their property. Yes, these actions may be done with good intentions but the more that we accept them the more we allow our freedoms to be eroded. As John Stuart Mills put it:

The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental or spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.

So if we want our rights as individuals to be respected then we must also respect the rights of other individuals.

Since the writing of this part of the book several disturbing events has transpired.  One of the most shocking was the recent assault on Christians by Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan.  The fact that the police, whose first priority should be the preservation of one's rights, gave into the unprovoked aggression being committed by the Muslims makes the whole episode even more disturbing.  At one point a young Iraqi man angrily preached about the freedom of religion while, ironically, supporting the suppression of a religion that he does not agree with.  This is the prime reason I came up with point number six.  If we only demand rights for ourselves while using government to suppress the rights of those we disagree with, then we are as guilty of tyranny as the police officials who, in Dearborn, turned a blind eye to the violation of a fundamental American right.  


Although guilty of denying the Christians their freedom of speech I will give the Dearborn police the benefit of the doubt and accept that they erred on the side of safety,  But I cannot emphasis strongly enough how essential the principle of respecting individual sovereignty is.  It needs to be preserved at all cost and any attempt to suppress it should be met with the full force of the law. 

Above I mention that I am in disagreement with the automatic anti-Muslim response some have to the establishing of a Mosque in their community.  I also respect the right of the Arabs/Muslims to have a fair.  But they must show the same tolerance to those they disagree with.  To do otherwise crosses that line and any individual that does so needs to be prosecuted.   

As I state in the Liberty Inherited (and restate in Step 2 of this series) it is not race, religion, or even country of origin that makes someone an American.  It is the belief in certain core values and the value at the core of America's exceptionalism is respecting the rights of others.  

Anyone doing otherwise, regardless of where they were born or what papers they have, is, in my estimation, being un-American.