"Anyone who has benefitted from tyranny directly should pay reparations. Everyone benefits indirectly from tyranny and crime since every country has had a history of tyranny crime is universal."
The underlined is the assertion that I'm having trouble accepting. It's very clear that the statement "Everyone (can you be more specific?) benefits indirectly from tyranny." is wholly false. The statement is rendered illogical and lacking, because it still doesn't address what I want to see: 'Those who benefit or have benefitted from tyranny, to be punished." ---Something tells me that your refusal to accept this stems not from a love of Democracy, but a knowledge that your lifestyle comes at the expense of others. You don't want to admit it. You don't want to pay for it. You want your hands to be washed of any blood. But you can't. It rubs off from the money you and I spend.
Keep in mind
"People should be free to say whatever they want, punishing people for not saying what you want is tyranny, so the only way to get people to agree with you is by proving that tyranny in history is one factor explaining their current wealth. The roman slave trade for instance was detrimental since it reduced the need to invent labour saving devices stunting the few technological legacies the romans left behind aswell as the rate of technological development thereafter."
But, this is so obvious. You're telling me you really think the way America earned it's country, it's democracy, was 100% ethical? You consider the strife we purposefully spread through out the world in the form of misapproiated aid, "Free Trade" and our 'Baby Huey' of a Foreign Policy to be ethical? Explain to me how you justify the things I listed.
"The evidence is slavery, colonization, the war in iraq, institutionalized discrimination against minorities (gays, blacks, the middle and lower classes), the creation of the North American Union, The push to take away our gun rights, etc. etc."
These were all forms of recent tyranny inacted by our government or through corporation with our governments blessing. How do you justify this? Do you even believe in justice?
"Communism became a tool of tyranny as communism simply degraded into tyranny in the first few years after the russian revolution. Democracy is nothing like tyranny as these stats (and many others if you could be botherred to look for yourself) proved.
That's just the thing, though. You're still approaching this in relatives. Yeah, relatively speaking Democracy is better than alot of things. But this doesn't disprove the fact that we hold onto this democracy and all the prosperity gained from it via tyrannical methods. You could throw numbers at me all day, but you can't put a numberical value on unethical behavior and injustice.
"Earlier you clearly stated you think that anyone who refuses to acknowledge how the use of tyranny by their own society indirectly benefits them should be punished. Can you blame me for thinking that perhaps you have something against rule by the people (democracy) and liberty? How can you expect me to take you seriously with your claim that you are trying to reveal crimes by people in the government and abuses of democracy if your argument is so weak you must resort to force to silence your critics?
"Force"? Where did you read that? I said "punishment" not, "force". Who will dole out this punishment and what this punishment should be...I'm not sure, yet. But there should be consequences. Any ethical or honorable person can understand this.
"None of these despotisms permitted the same level of freedom of speech you are allowed today, existence under them was worse than even the poorest most oppressive times under a democracy. Democracy isn't perfect, but it is certainly nothing like tyranny. I believe only the perpetrators of tyranny should be punished, but the people they oppressed should not be punished further no matter how free they are in the distant future."
That's great.
But the bread on your plate, the television that brings you your "free speach" still comes at the expense of millions starving in Africa, millions with parched throats because their water has be privatized in South America, it comes at the expense millions of dead chinese and arabs, it comes at the expense of once soverign nations forced to join the EU just to compete with our tactics. Perhaps... we are about to pay for our lack of willingness to take responsibility for the tyranny our democratic government has wrought across the globe and at home. Maybe our punishment was just dealt out by Bush signing up with Canada and Mexico.