RE: [FT][SG][DS] Canada, the US Civil War II, and the structure

On Thursday, 17 December 1998 13:49, Brian Burger
[SMTP:burger00@camosun.bc.ca] wrote:
> I guess I should avoid writing email late at night - I did not intend
to
> offend everyone w/ the 'gun-nuts' comments, merely to point out that
> different regions of what will, in the GZGverse become the NAC, have
> different ideas of what constitutes an 'inalienable right'.

Very, very true.  Look at the separatist movement in Scotland (of all
places).  You will run into this problem whenever you have a government
composed of many separate, distinct cultural groups.  There are two ways
to handle it:

1- Allow the areas to have some freedom, and take the risk that they
people may start to identify with their region more strongly than with
the larger state.  This leads to breakaways, rebellions, and
successions.

or

2- Crack down on the cultural regions by imposing a standard set
governmental values and do not let the locals deviate from it.	Downside
of this is that this also encourages breakaways, rebellions, and
successions.

Every other approach is merely a combination of the two, with different
proportions.

> I'll leave commenting on the long future history posts until later, in
> the
> future...

Please stay part of the conversation.  The future history stuff is great
fun.

> Part of the post was, however, exceedingly tongue-in-cheek, although
on
> re-reading I should have phrased it differently. All references to
> 'artillery' should have read 'guns/sidearms/whatever'.

Amongst other things.  Unfortunately, what may be comedy to one is
tragedy to others.  I remember the displeasure that many UKers expressed
about some of the jokes made about Diana's death.  Having spent a large
part of my life outside the US (in the UK amongst others), I could
understand that.

> The switch from using 'citizen' to using 'subject' later in the post
was
> not meant to be significant - I sometimes regard them as synonyms;
> obviously other people do not.

They are not.

> In closing, mea cupla, and I'll stay off the Future Hist posts late at
> night or when I'm writing in a hurry from now on.
> 
> Apologetically,

Apology accepted, Sir.	You truly are a gentleman and a scholar.  I look
forward to future discussions with you.

vargr1							 UPP-8D9B85
---------------------------- Omnia dicta fortiora, si dicta latina.
Meyers-Briggs personality type: ENTJ		    vargr1@jcn1.com
"...the ENTJ is not one to be trifled with."	  dmoody@bridge.com