Well, my family, two branches, started shooting.
I don’t recommend that approach, but given the time and circumstances I likely would have been right there with them.
I strongly oppose abortion because it’s murder, but going to jail is not practical.
Abortion has become a political litmus test and is one of the most effective ways that both sides have to raise money.
So the fight goes to the courts and elections.
Any government is a beauty contest, majority rule, minority rights.
We can only struggle through the available Constitutional processes and stay free ourselves.
I’ve helped some community groups incorporate into new cities.
Guess what, the city councils that started out with well-meaning activists and soon got packed with realtors and lawyers.
Self-determination only lasts so long.
Any government is a beauty contest, majority rule, minority rights.
Well there is a serious problem with this. Human rights are granted by God, and the government should not infringe those, even if the majority says so. Isn't the issue of slavery an example of government infringing human rights?
We should not allow a system where this is an option. Oppressive government's should not be tolerated, even if they are elected by Democratic process and aided by a corrupt and immoral court system.
“Well, my family, two branches, started shooting. I don’t recommend that approach, but given the time and circumstances I likely would have been right there with them.”
Killing people you don’t agree with on moral issues may be moral. I’m not sure that’s what Jesus taught but, for the purpose of this thread, let’s suppose Jesus did tell northerners to kill slave owners (in the South, not the border states).
Just realize that when your folks took up arms to “free the slaves” they were fighting to overthrow the pro-slavery provisions of the United States constitution. In fact, they were fighting to violently overthrow the United States constitution.
And if, as some believe, southerners were fighting for the pro-slavery provisions in the constitution, they were fighting to prevent the U.S. constitution’s violent overthrow. But by then, the South had left the union - and took the constitution with them.
gandalftb: "Well, my family, two branches, started shooting.
I don’t recommend that approach, but given the time and circumstances I likely would have been right there with them."
Well... unless your family were Jayhawkers or related to John Brown himself, they did not commit illegal violence against slave-holders.
And "bleeding Kansas" was hardly representative of the entire nation in 1860.
In a population of 31 million, Kansas counted 107,000 (2 slaves) and could not be used to lead the nation.
In 1860 the vast majority of Northerners were content to allow constitutional processes to play out and only restrict slavery around its edges, first preventing its expansion.