THE RULE OF LAW
We hear this term the “rule of law” a lot. What does it mean?
The “rule of law” is generally perceived as a society that is ruled by a set of rules that protects the rights of the individuals, as opposed to being ruled by the whims of a King, a President, A Prime minister, a Premier, or even a democratically elected parliament!
The basic principles of the “rule of law” were stated in the British Magna Carta which states:
“No free man will be denied his liberty, his life, or his estate without due process of the law”
The “due process of the law” is composed of a notice, a hearing, a judgement.
Pretty simple, right?
Unfortunately our present governments sometimes don’t exactly follow the letter of the law! In Alberta over the last several years the government has done its’ best to distort and thwart the basic principles of the “rule of law”!
The land theft bills (24, 36, 19, and 50) all were direct violations of the “rule of law”……..all of them denied you the right to due process of the law! Bill 2, the Responsible Energy Development Act, goes even further……..in fact it takes the Magna Carta and throws it in the garbage can!
In a “rule of law” society the citizen must always have the right to lobby the government, protest government policy, and challenge the government in front of a court. This is a basic right and any government who denies or represses that right is not a legitimate government.
· Now a disclaimer here: This right to protest and lobby does not give the dissenter the right to break laws or infringe on the rights of others. It does not give the dissenter the right to vandalize property, block public roads, or libel individuals! It should also be noted it does not give government the right to declare legal dissenters as terrorists and traitors. It does not give government the right to discriminate against or oppress legal dissenters!
History teaches us that when a government continually breaks the law, refuses to acknowledge the legitimate dissention of its citizens, and in fact abuses and oppresses those citizens, society will eventually rise up and replace the government. Whether through bloody revolutions like the French Revolution and American Revolution, or through the ballot box, the citizen is justified in removing a government that violates the “rule of law”.
When the “rule of law” is violated by the government in one area (property rights), often further depredations follow…….life and liberty!
It is our duty as “free men” in a just society, to protect the “rule of law”……to fail to do so means we don’t deserve our right to life, liberty, or property! Instead we deserve to be treated as little more than a chattel, owned and managed completely by our master the government!