Book of Non-Favours

Another idea for a book - "the Bill of Wrongs". It is a turn of a phrase I got from Dr. Michael Savage on his radio show. It sums up a lot that is wrong about our society today. It reminds me of two key comments. First, the lamentation of Obama that the US Constitution was too conservative and "negative". He meant that it forbade the government do too many things. Of course, anyone who has seen what the SCOTUS has done to that document since 1933 will know how ironical this plaint truly is. 

But it brings to mind another infamous comment that I gleaned from Lord Clark. He quoted in his "Civilization" series a sociologist who once opined on TV that "Whatever is not prohibited should be made mandatory". We have devolved from a point of view that put God and Man first ahead of the State, the Vested Interests, the Elite, the Collective or the People or whatever name (the Borg?) they went by depending on the era, to the reverse outlook.

Now, our so-called "leaders" "apologize" for us, echo calls for us to pay reparations for things we never did, demand we define our relationship with the State not as master to servant but as slave to whatever obligations, liabilities and wrongs it feels we have to correct, amend or indemnify. The State has become a jealous, capricious and increasingly irresponsible God indeed to us. Thus, it seems only a matter of time and imagination (a problem for many of the intellectual mediocrities involved admittedly and thankfully) before we are confronted with a new "contract" one that will be quite one-sided. One where we pay for or do things that more and more are ordered by those we have absolutely no control or direction over ( even now, the Administrative State grows apace). Meanwhile, more and more, our democratic representatives, in aggregate, represent the State to us.

This Orwellian world seems somewhat remote and even alarmist to us casually. "Don't we have a Charter Of Rights and Freedoms?", we say. But, wait a minute, we agreed that almost all of those rights, that 500 years of Enlightened philosophy had taught us came to us naturally, are really in the gift of the State in most cases. "Don't we have a House of Commons that democratically holds the State accountable?", we say. Well, what does Closure, the Harper minority or the SNC matter tell us but that the Parliament is now essentially a lazy, ill-informed and gutless Echo Chamber and Department of the Government?

Is it only a matter of time that, when the Rule of Law can be trampled with impunity in the name of a government contract or two and none of our MP's oppose our children paying more than they should for milk and a journalist can be hounded by the RCMP without nary a whimper of protest from Question Period, we should soon be presented with our Bill of Wrongs? 

What will this infamous document look like? First, the preamble would explain that we imperfect humans who have transgressed against minorities, animals, trees and the planet must atone for our sins after cataloging all of our transgressions. This section alone should take up more pages than the present Constitution Act. 

Then the operative portion will outline the things we must do to atone and to be good citizens and pay proper fealty to the State (fictionally called "the Crown" to give it some sense of dignity and plausibility to our dim sense of historicality). Here Rand's nightmare prophecy of "selflessness" for the State will finally be given flesh legally as one after the other obligation dressed up as an "entitlement" establishes its invisible chains of dependence and visible chains of slavery on the Citizen no doubt to be called,"The Social Act of Correction". Most crucially of all, human rights, privacy, traditions and even the Rule of Law will be subordinated to the "Greater Good" (although I am sure the wordsmiths of this infernal article will find a less obvious term for it).

Then the fun part: "What is Allowed". Here we will be told, as in that sociologist's dreary vision, what will be permissible and made compulsory. I like to think that morning Zen exercise will be included as well as a minimum daily intake of wheat germ. This section will happily be the least voluminous of all.

Even if our elite are not brazen enough to codify it, in practice the most important rule of this Devil's Constitution will be - Do as I say not as I do!