New Mars Forums

:0
Hi, I am an absolute newbie here except that I have tried to read a number of posts to get acquainted. Hope you don't mind if I jump right in. Please excuse any missed history on my part.

It is very interesting how your discussion group has created a very well thought out, comprehensive bill of rights that includes all the things that current society does right, while attempting to address the things that society currently does wrong.

A problem that I see is that these rights really shouldn't become laws lest they give someone power. A system based upon respecting others rights rather than enforcing our laws might be a better way to go. This might require a completely different form of government such as that which requires that leadership be chosen by impartial lottery a-la Arthur C. Clarke, in order to ensure that power be shared completely.

If everyone ever to move to Mars were to agree to be governed by these rights, this would at least guarantee one generation of compliance which could very likely establish a foothold of a power base to ensure these rights.

The experiences of the United Order system in Utah at the turn of the last century demonstrates how difficult it is to have everyone equal, but no one lead.

I feel however that the previous discussions about when is it acceptable to cut off another's access to necessary items such as air if they are "bad" is an antithesis to this bill of rights.

Maybe I have missed it, but what about the role of Banishment? This could be quite an effective tool that could stop both imminent and repeatable threats while preserving the stated rights of the individual.

Some may say that it hinders the right to travel or the right to own property, but so does the death penalty. Any person considered criminal may have a role to play "anywhere but here" as they say. I wonder if it should also be a priviledge to be martian rather than just a right. But where to banish the criminals? It is rather more likely that once colonies are established on Mars, the Terran governments will tire of warehousing their criminals and start shipping them to Mars. They are not likely to accept any Martian criminals. Mars is likely to fill the role of Australia which really wasn't a bad thing for Australians either then or now.

Maybe part of the technology we should be considering is the development of a way to profile criminal behavior and either weed those individuals out or find a way to mitigate their behavior somehow. I am not anxious to engage in any type of eugenics program which is what this kind of thing might require.

Next, my problems with creating a government "in absentia" are the following:
If a Terran government funds exploration and sets up a base, then it may assume to claim rights to govern.
If a Terran corporation funds exploration and sets up a base, then it may assume to claim their own government or none at all. It may even claim to BE the government.

Also, it is more likely that whoever manages to fund and therefore control the bases will do so by might and as we all know, no power was ever wrested from those in power except at the end of a weapon. History is likely to repeat itself unless the nature of mankind is changed somehow.

Cheers,

Jeff Sheets