Roe vs Wade Overturned, What is a Right?, Billy the Kid, JRP0279

June 29, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:19 — 25.3MB)

Roe vs Wade has been overturned. What does this mean about individual rights?

The End of Roe vs Wade

The most divisive issue in our culture has been flipped on its ear thanks to SCOTUS overturning Roe vs Wade. Now individual states can establish their own rules. States have been preparing for this outcome with some states reinforcing the right to choose and other states doing the opposite. Huge demonstrations are happening across America. I thought this would never happen. I was wrong.

As a student at UC San Diego, the abortion issue was the first political topic I wrestled with. I saw the logic and righteousness in the idea of being in charge of your own life, particularly the idea of body sovereignty. It has shaped how I see a range of issues today. Your right to manage your life is fundamental.

The World’s Smallest Political Quiz

Are we going backwards? If so, in which dimensions. We discuss the Nolan Chart invented by David Nolan in 1969. This chart abandons the traditional left wing vs right wing spectrum. Instead, it introduces a paradigm of looking at individual freedom in 2 dimensions: your personal life and your economic life. This chart is captured in The World’s Smallest Political Quiz. I invite you to try it to see where you line up. You might be surprised. I certainly was!

The World’s Smallest Political Quiz

What is a Right?

There are rights of free speech and freedom of the press. There are guns rights, women’s rights, and gay rights. There are rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Some think healthcare is a right.

So, what is a right?

A “right” is a moral principle defining and sanctioning a man’s freedom of action in a social context. There is only one fundamental right: a man’s right to his own life. All the other rights, like freedom of speech or property rights, are its consequences or corollaries.

This means that many things some declare as rights are not actually rights. For example, a right to healthcare can only be provided by violating the rights of other people to provide the service or fund it.

A lot of people think it can be anything they want, but here’s a test:

If someone else has to give you something, rather than just not harming you, it’s not a right.

Billy the Kid Review

I really enjoyed the Epix series Billy the Kid and recommend you consider it. His story as the son of Irish immigrants leaving New York City to risk a trip westward is similar to what my own Irish ancestors did. People traveled with little resources across treacherous terrain and dangerous circumstances for a better life. They bet on themselves. They believed in themselves.

Billy lived from 1859-1881. This is a transformational time in human history. The Industrial Revolution and Capitalism were producing innovative, life-improving technologies. Immigrants from all over the world flocked to America to seek opportunity. America expanded west and built a nation.

This series tackles many powerful values like justice, integrity, independence, trust, and honesty. These are all issues I enjoy discussing in my podcast.

I give it a big thumbs up but warn you it can move a bit slow at times. IMDB rates this series a 7.0. Rotten Tomatoes gives this an audience score of 82%.

https://www.epix.com/series/billy-the-kid

#RoeOverturned #Rights #BillytheKid

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