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Consent of the Governed?
What gives some people the right to rule others? At least since John Locke's time, the most common and seemingly compelling answer has been "the consent of the governed." When the North American revolutionaries set out to justify their secession from the British Empire, they declared, among other things: "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed." This sounds good, especially if one doesn't think about it very hard or very long, but the harder and longer one thinks about it, the more problematic it becomes.
One question after another comes to mind. Must every person consent? If not, how many must, and what options do those who do not consent have? What form must the consent take ― verbal, written, explicit, implicit? If implicit, how is it to be registered? Given that the composition of society is constantly changing, owing to births, deaths, and international migration, how often must the rulers confirm that they retain the consent of the governed? And so on and on. Political legitimacy, it would appear, presents a multitude of difficulties when we move from the realm of theoretical abstraction to that of practical realization.
I raise this question because in regard to the so-called social contract, I have often had occasion to protest that I haven't even seen the contract, much less been asked to consent to it. A valid contract requires voluntary offer, acceptance, and consideration. I've never received an offer from my rulers, so I certainly have not accepted one; and rather than consideration, I have received nothing but contempt from the rulers, who, notwithstanding the absence of any agreement, have indubitably threatened me with grave harm in the event that I fail to comply with their edicts. What monumental effrontery these people exhibit! What gives them the right to rob me and push me around? It certainly is not my desire to be a sheep for them to shear or slaughter as they deem expedient for the attainment of their own ends.
Moreover, when we flesh out the idea of "consent of the governed" in realistic detail, the whole notion quickly becomes utterly preposterous. Just consider how it would work. A would-be ruler approaches you and offers a contract for your approval. Here, says he, is the deal.
I, the party of the first part ("the ruler"), promise:
(1) To stipulate how much of your money you will hand over to me, as well as how, when, and where the transfer will be made. You will have no effective say in the matter, aside from pleading for my mercy, and if you should fail to comply, my agents will punish you with fines, imprisonment, and (in the event of your persistent resistance) death.
(2) To make thousands upon thousands of rules for you to obey without question, again on pain of punishment by my agents. You will have no effective say in determining the content of these rules, which will be so numerous, complex, and in many cases beyond comprehension that no human being could conceivably know about more than a handful of them, much less their specific character, yet if you should fail to comply with any of them, I will feel free to punish you to the extent of a law made my me and my confederates.
(3) To provide for your use, on terms stipulated by me and my agents, so-called public goods and services. Although you may actually place some value on a few of these goods and services, most will have little or no value to you, and some you will find utterly abhorrent, and in no event will you as an individual have any effective say over the goods and services I provide, notwithstanding any economist's cock-and-bull story to the effect that you "demand" all this stuff and value it at whatever amount of money I choose to expend for its provision.
(4) In the event of a dispute between us, judges beholden to me for their appointment and salaries will decide how to settle the dispute. You can expect to lose in these settlements, if your case is heard at all.
In exchange for the foregoing government "benefits," you, the party of the second part ("the subject"), promise:
(5) To shut up, make no waves, obey all orders issued by the ruler and his agents, kowtow to them as if they were important, honorable people, and when they say "jump," ask only "how high?"
Such a deal! Can we really imagine that any sane person would consent to it?
Yet the foregoing description of the true social contract into which individuals are said to have entered is much too abstract to capture the raw realities of being governed. In enumerating the actual details, no one has ever surpassed Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who wrote:
To be GOVERNED is to be kept in sight, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right, nor the wisdom, nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction, noted, registered, enrolled, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, trained, ransomed, exploited, monopolized, extorted, squeezed, mystified, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, despised, harassed, tracked, abused, clubbed, disarmed, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and, to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality. (P.-J. Proudhon, General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century, trans. John Beverley Robinson. London: Freedom Press, 1923, p. 294)
Nowadays, of course, we would have to supplement Proudhon's admirably precise account by noting that our being governed also entails our being electronically monitored, tracked by orbiting satellites, tased more or less at random, and invaded in our premises by SWAT teams of police, often under the pretext of their overriding our natural right to decide what substances we will ingest, inject, or inhale into what used to be known as "our own bodies."
So, to return to the question of political legitimacy as determined by the consent of the governed, it appears upon sober reflection that the whole idea is as fanciful as the unicorn. No one in his right mind, save perhaps an incurable masochist, would voluntarily consent to be treated as governments actually treat their subjects.
Nevertheless, very few of us in this country at present are actively engaged in armed rebellion against our rulers. And it is precisely this absence of outright violent revolt that, strange to say, some commentators take as evidence of our consent to the outrageous manner in which the government treats us. Grudging, prudential acquiescence, however, is not the same thing as consent, especially when the people acquiesce, as I do, only in simmering, indignant resignation.
For the record, I can state in complete candor that I do not approve of the manner in which I am being treated by the liars, thieves, and murderers who style themselves the Government of the United States of America or by those who constitute the tyrannical pyramid of state, local, and hybrid governments with which this country is massively infested. My sincere wish is that all of these individuals would, for once in their despicable lives, do the honorable thing. In this regard, I suggest that they give serious consideration to seppuku. Whether they employ a sharp sword or a dull one, I care not, so long as they carry the act to a successful completion.
Addendum on "love it or leave it": Whenever I write along the foregoing lines, I always receive messages from Neanderthals who, imagining that I "hate America," demand that I get the hell out of this country and go back to wherever I came from. Such reactions evince not only bad manners, but a fundamental misunderstanding of my grievance.
I most emphatically do not hate America. I was not born in some foreign despotism, but in a domestic one known as Oklahoma, which I understand to be the very heart and soul of this country so far as culture and refinement are concerned. Moreover, for what it is worth, some of my ancestors had been living in North America for centuries before a handful of ragged, starving white men washed ashore on this continent, planted their flag, and claimed all the land they could see and a great deal they could not see on behalf of some sorry-ass European monarch. What chutzpah! I yield to no one in my affection for the Statue of Liberty, the Rocky Mountains, and the amber waves of grain, not to mention the celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County. So when I am invited to get out of the country, I feel like someone living in a town taken over by the James Gang who has been told that if he doesn't like being robbed and bullied by uninvited thugs, he should move to another town. To me, it seems much more fitting that the criminals get out.


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A Curse for a Nation |
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) |
Prologue I heard an angel speak last night, And he said "Write! Write a Nation's curse for me, And send it over the Western Sea." I faltered, taking up the word: "Not so, my lord! If curses must be, choose another To send thy curse against my brother. "For I am bound by gratitude, By love and blood, To brothers of mine across the sea, Who stretch out kindly hands to me." "Therefore," the voice said, "shalt thou write My curse to-night. From the summits of love a curse is driven, As lightning is from the tops of heaven." "Not so," I answered. "Evermore My heart is sore For my own land's sins: for little feet Of children bleeding along the street: "For parked-up honors that gainsay The right of way: For almsgiving through a door that is Not open enough for two friends to kiss: "For love of freedom which abates Beyond the Straits: For patriot virtue starved to vice on Self-praise, self-interest, and suspicion: "For an oligarchic parliament, And bribes well-meant. What curse to another land assign, When heavy-souled for the sins of mine?" "Therefore," the voice said, "shalt thou write My curse to-night. Because thou hast strength to see and hate A foul thing done within thy gate." "Not so," I answered once again. "To curse, choose men. For I, a woman, have only known How the heart melts and the tears run down." "Therefore," the voice said, "shalt thou write My curse to-night. Some women weep and curse, I say (And no one marvels), night and day. "And thou shalt take their part to-night, Weep and write. A curse from the depths of womanhood Is very salt, and bitter, and good." So thus I wrote, and mourned indeed, What all may read. And thus, as was enjoined on me, I send it over the Western Sea. The Curse Because ye have broken your own chain With the strain Of brave men climbing a Nation's height, Yet thence bear down with brand and thong On souls of others, – for this wrong This is the curse. Write. |
Because yourselves are standing straight In the state Of Freedom's foremost acolyte, Yet keep calm footing all the time On writhing bond-slaves, – for this crime This is the curse. Write. Because ye prosper in God's name, With a claim To honor in the old world's sight, Yet do the fiend's work perfectly In strangling martyrs, – for this lie This is the curse. Write. Ye shall watch while kings conspire Round the people's smouldering fire, And, warm for your part, Shall never dare – O shame! To utter the thought into flame Which burns at your heart. This is the curse. Write. Ye shall watch while nations strive With the bloodhounds, die or survive, Drop faint from their jaws, Or throttle them backward to death; And only under your breath Shall favor the cause. This is the curse. Write. Ye shall watch while strong men draw The nets of feudal law To strangle the weak; And, counting the sin for a sin, Your soul shall be sadder within Than the word ye shall speak. This is the curse. Write. When good men are praying erect That Christ may avenge His elect And deliver the earth, The prayer in your ears, said low, Shall sound like the tramp of a foe That's driving you forth. This is the curse. Write. When wise men give you their praise, They shall praise in the heat of the phrase, As if carried too far. When ye boast your own charters kept true, Ye shall blush; for the thing which ye do Derides what ye are. This is the curse. Write. When fools cast taunts at your gate, Your scorn ye shall somewhat abate As ye look o'er the wall; For your conscience, tradition, and name Explode with a deadlier blame Than the worst of them all. This is the curse. Write. Go, wherever ill deeds shall be done, Go, plant your flag in the sun Beside the ill-doers! And recoil from clenching the curse Of God's witnessing Universe With a curse of yours. This is the curse. Write. |

subset: commoncrawl


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Sec. 38.114. CONTRABAND IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. (a) A person commits an offense if the person:
(1) provides contraband to an inmate of a correctional facility;
(2) otherwise introduces contraband into a correctional facility; or
(3) possesses contraband while confined in a correctional facility.
(b) In this section, "contraband":
(1) means:
(A) any item not provided by or authorized by the operator of the correctional facility; or
(B) any item provided by or authorized by the operator of the correctional facility that has been altered to accommodate a use other than the originally intended use; and
(2) does not include any item specifically prohibited under Section 38.11.
(c) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor, unless the offense is committed by an employee or a volunteer of the correctional facility, in which event the offense is a Class B misdemeanor.
(d) In this section, "correctional facility" means:
(1) any place described by Section 1.07(a)(14); or
(2) a "secure correctional facility" or "secure detention facility" as those terms are defined by Section 51.02, Family Code.
Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 499 (H.B. 549), Sec. 2, eff. June 17, 2005.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 908 (H.B. 2884), Sec. 42, eff. September 1, 2007.
Section: Previous 38.07 38.08 38.09 38.10 38.11 38.111 38.113 38.114 38.12 38.122 38.123 38.13 38.14 38.15 38.151 NextLast modified: September 28, 2016


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Undaunted, people in a number of countries are coming up with new proposals that are variations on the theme of government-provided income -- which amounts to relieving people from personal responsibility.
Yet even some conservatives and libertarians are coming up with proposals for more "efficient" versions of the welfare state -- namely direct cash grants for life to virtually all adults, instead of the current hodgepodge of overlapping bureaucratic programs.
Charles Murray recognizes that "some people will idle away their lives" under his proposal. "But that is already a problem," he says, and therefore is no valid objection to replacing the current welfare state with a less costly alternative.
Everyone recognizes that there are some people unable to provide for their own survival -- infants and the severely disabled, among others. But providing for such people is wholly different from a blanket guarantee for everybody that they need not lift a finger to feed, clothe or shelter themselves.
The financial cost of providing such a guarantee, though huge, is not the worst of the problems. The history of what has actually happened in times and places where people were relieved from the challenge of survival by windfall gains is not encouraging.
In both England and the United States, the massive expansion of the welfare state since the 1960s has been accompanied by a vast expansion in the amount of crime, violence, drug addiction, fatherless children and other signs of social degeneration.
Maybe that was just coincidence. But there have been too many coincidences in too many very different times and places where people were relieved from the challenge of survival by windfall gains of one sort or another.
In 16th and 17th century Spain -- its "golden age" -- the windfall gain was gold and silver looted by the ton from Spanish colonies in the Western Hemisphere. This enabled Spain to survive without having to develop the skills, the sciences or the work ethic of other countries in Western Europe.
Spain could buy what it wanted from other nations with all the gold and silver taken from its colonies. As a Spaniard of that era proudly put it, "Everyone serves Spain and Spain serves no one."
What this meant in practical terms was that other countries developed the skills, the knowledge, the self-discipline and other forms of human capital that Spain did not have to develop, since it could receive the tangible products of this human capital from other countries.
But once the windfall gains from its colonies were gone, Spain became, and remained, one of the poorest countries in Western Europe. Worse, the disdainful attitudes toward productive work that developed during the centuries of Spain's "golden age" became a negative legacy to future generations, in both Spain itself and in its overseas offshoot societies in Latin America.
In Saudi Arabia today, the great windfall gain is its vast petroleum reserve. This has spawned both a fabulously wealthy ruling elite and a heavily subsidized general population in which many have become disdainful of work. The net result has been a work force in which foreigners literally outnumber Saudis.
Some welfare states' windfall gains have enabled a large segment of their own citizens to live in subsidized idleness while many jobs stigmatized as "menial" are taken over by foreigners. Often these initially poor foreigners rise up the economic scale, while the subsidized domestic poor fail to rise.
Do we really want more of that?
British historian Arnold Toynbee proposed the "challenge and response" thesis that human beings advance when there are challenges they must meet. The welfare state removes challenges -- and has produced many social retrogressions.
Those with the welfare state vision often want to remove challenges even from games by getting rid of winning and losing. That is consistent with their overall assumptions about life. But it seems very inconsistent for conservatives and libertarians to support plans whose net effect would be to reduce the inherent challenges of life for still more people.


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No people, at the present day, can be explained by their national religion. They do not feel responsible for it; it lies far outside of them. Their loyalty to truth, and their labor and expenditure rest on real foundations, and not on a national church. And English life, it is evident, does not grow out of the Athanasian creed, or the Articles, or the Eucharist. It is with religion as with marriage. A youth marries in haste; afterwards, when his mind is opened to the reason of the conduct of life, he is asked, what he thinks of the institution of marriage, and of the right relations of the sexes? `I should have much to say,' he might reply, `if the question were open, but I have a wife and children, and all question is closed for me.' In the barbarous days of a nation, some _cultus_ is formed or imported; altars are built, tithes are paid, priests ordained. The education and expenditure of the country take that direction, and when wealth, refinement, great men, and ties to the world, supervene, its prudent men say, why fight against Fate, or lift these absurdities which are now mountainous? Better find some niche or crevice in this mountain of stone which religious ages have quarried and carved, wherein to bestow yourself, than attempt any thing ridiculously and dangerously above your strength, like removing it.
In seeing old castles and cathedrals, I sometimes say, as to-day, in front of Dundee Church tower, which is eight hundred years old, `this was built by another and a better race than any that now look on it.' And, plainly, there has been great power of sentiment at work in this island, of which these buildings are the proofs: as volcanic basalts show the work of fire which has been extinguished for ages. England felt the full heat of the Christianity which fermented Europe, and drew, like the chemistry of fire, a firm line between barbarism and culture. The power of the religious sentiment put an end to human sacrifices, checked appetite, inspired the crusades, inspired resistance to tyrants, inspired self-respect, set bounds to serfdom and slavery, founded liberty, created the religious architecture, — York, Newstead, Westminster, Fountains Abbey, Ripon, Beverley, and Dundee, — works to which the key is lost, with the sentiment which created them; inspired the English Bible, the liturgy, the monkish histories, the chronicle of Richard of Devizes. The priest translated the Vulgate, and translated the sanctities of old hagiology into English virtues on English ground. It was a certain affirmative or aggressive state of the Caucasian races. Man awoke refreshed by the sleep of ages. The violence of the northern savages exasperated Christianity into power. It lived by the love of the people. Bishop Wilfrid manumitted two hundred and fifty serfs, whom he found attached to the soil. The clergy obtained respite from labor for the boor on the Sabbath, and on church festivals. "The lord who compelled his boor to labor between sunset on Saturday and sunset on Sunday, forfeited him altogether." The priest came out of the people, and sympathized with his class. The church was the mediator, check, and democratic principle, in Europe. Latimer, Wicliffe, Arundel, Cobham, Antony Parsons, Sir Harry Vane, George Fox, Penn, Bunyan are the democrats, as well as the saints of their times. The Catholic church, thrown on this toiling, serious people, has made in fourteen centuries a massive system, close fitted to the manners and genius of the country, at once domestical and stately. In the long time, it has blended with every thing in heaven above and the earth beneath. It moves through a zodiac of feasts and fasts, names every day of the year, every town and market and headland and monument, and has coupled itself with the almanac, that no court can be held, no field ploughed, no horse shod, without some leave from the church. All maxims of prudence or shop or farm are fixed and dated by the church. Hence, its strength in the agricultural districts. The distribution of land into parishes enforces a church sanction to every civil privilege; and the gradation of the clergy, — prelates for the rich, and curates for the poor, — with the fact that a classical education has been secured to the clergyman, makes them "the link which unites the sequestered peasantry with the intellectual advancement of the age." (* 1) Wordsworth.
The English church has many certificates to show, of humble effective service in humanizing the people, in cheering and refining men, feeding, healing, and educating. It has the seal of martyrs and confessors; the noblest books; a sublime architecture; a ritual marked by the same secular merits, nothing cheap or purchasable.
From this slow-grown church important reactions proceed; much for culture, much for giving a direction to the nation's affection and will to-day. The carved and pictured chapel, — its entire surface animated with image and emblem, — made the parish-church a sort of book and Bible to the people's eye.
Then, when the Saxon instinct had secured a service in the vernacular tongue, it was the tutor and university of the people. In York minster, on the day of the enthronization of the new archbishop, I heard the service of evening prayer read and chanted in the choir. It was strange to hear the pretty pastoral of the betrothal of Rebecca and Isaac, in the morning of the world, read with circumstantiality in York minster, on the 13th January, 1848, to the decorous English audience, just fresh from the Times newspaper and their wine; and listening with all the devotion of national pride. That was binding old and new to some purpose. The reverence for the Scriptures is an element of civilization, for thus has the history of the world been preserved, and is preserved. Here in England every day a chapter of Genesis, and a leader in the Times.
Another part of the same service on this occasion was not insignificant. Handel's coronation anthem, _God save the King_, was played by Dr. Camidge on the organ, with sublime effect. The minster and the music were made for each other. It was a hint of the part the church plays as a political engine. From his infancy, every Englishman is accustomed to hear daily prayers for the queen, for the royal family and the Parliament, by name; and this lifelong consecration of these personages cannot be without influence on his opinions.
The universities, also, are parcel of the ecclesiastical system, and their first design is to form the clergy. Thus the clergy for a thousand years have been the scholars of the nation.
The national temperament deeply enjoys the unbroken order and tradition of its church; the liturgy, ceremony, architecture the sober grace, the good company, the connection with the throne, and with history, which adorn it. And whilst it endears itself thus to men of more taste than activity, the stability of the English nation is passionately enlisted to its support, from its inextricable connection with the cause of public order, with politics and with the funds.
Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither built nor filled by atheists. No church has had more learned, industrious or devoted men; plenty of "clerks and bishops, who, out of their gowns, would turn their backs on no man." (* 2) Their architecture still glows with faith in immortality. Heats and genial periods arrive in history, or, shall we say, plentitudes of Divine Presence, by which high tides are caused in the human spirit, and great virtues and talents appear, as in the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and again in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the nation was full of genius and piety. (* 2) Fuller.
But the age of the Wicliffes, Cobhams, Arundels, Beckets; of the Latimers, Mores, Cranmers; of the Taylors, Leightons, Herberts; of the Sherlocks, and Butlers, is gone. Silent revolutions in opinion have made it impossible that men like these should return, or find a place in their once sacred stalls. The spirit that dwelt in this church has glided away to animate other activities; and they who come to the old shrines find apes and players rustling the old garments.
The religion of England is part of good-breeding. When you see on the continent the well-dressed Englishman come into his ambassador's chapel, and put his face for silent prayer into his smooth-brushed hat, one cannot help feeling how much national pride prays with him, and the religion of a gentleman. So far is he from attaching any meaning to the words, that he believes himself to have done almost the generous thing, and that it is very condescending in him to pray to God. A great duke said, on the occasion of a victory, in the House of Lords, that he thought the Almighty God had not been well used by them, and that it would become their magnanimity, after so great successes, to take order that a proper acknowledgment be made. It is the church of the gentry; but it is not the church of the poor. The operatives do not own it, and gentlemen lately testified in the House of Commons that in their lives they never saw a poor man in a ragged coat inside a church.
The torpidity on the side of religion of the vigorous English understanding, shows how much wit and folly can agree in one brain. Their religion is a quotation; their church is a doll; and any examination is interdicted with screams of terror. In good company, you expect them to laugh at the fanaticism of the vulgar; but they do not: they are the vulgar.
The English, in common perhaps with Christendom in the nineteenth century, do not respect power, but only performance; value ideas only for an economic result. Wellington esteems a saint only as far as he can be an army chaplain: — "Mr. Briscoll, by his admirable conduct and good sense, got the better of Methodism, which had appeared among the soldiers, and once among the officers." They value a philosopher as they value an apothecary who brings bark or a drench; and inspiration is only some blowpipe, or a finer mechanical aid.
I suspect that there is in an Englishman's brain a valve that can be closed at pleasure, as an engineer shuts off steam. The most sensible and well-informed men possess the power of thinking just so far as the bishop in religious matters, and as the chancellor of the exchequer in politics. They talk with courage and logic, and show you magnificent results, but the same men who have brought free trade or geology to their present standing, look grave and lofty, and shut down their valve, as soon as the conversation approaches the English church. After that, you talk with a box-turtle.
The action of the university, both in what is taught, and in the spirit of the place, is directed more on producing an English gentleman, than a saint or a psychologist. It ripens a bishop, and extrudes a philosopher. I do not know that there is more cabalism in the Anglican, than in other churches, but the Anglican clergy are identified with the aristocracy. They say, here, that, if you talk with a clergyman, you are sure to find him well-bred, informed, and candid. He entertains your thought or your project with sympathy and praise. But if a second clergyman come in, the sympathy is at an end: two together are inaccessible to your thought, and, whenever it comes to action, the clergyman invariably sides with his church.
The Anglican church is marked by the grace and good sense of its forms, by the manly grace of its clergy. The gospel it preaches, is, `By taste are ye saved.' It keeps the old structures in repair, spends a world of money in music and building; and in buying Pugin, and architectural literature. It has a general good name for amenity and mildness. It is not in ordinary a persecuting church; it is not inquisitorial, not even inquisitive, is perfectly well-bred, and can shut its eyes on all proper occasions. If you let it alone, it will let you alone. But its instinct is hostile to all change in politics, literature, or social arts. The church has not been the founder of the London University, of the Mechanics' Institutes, of the Free School, or whatever aims at diffusion of knowledge. The Platonists of Oxford are as bitter against this heresy, as Thomas Taylor.
The doctrine of the Old Testament is the religion of England. The first leaf of the New Testament it does not open. It believes in a Providence which does not treat with levity a pound sterling. They are neither transcendentalists nor christians. They put up no Socratic prayer, much less any saintly prayer for the queen's mind; ask neither for light nor right, but say bluntly, "grant her in health and wealth long to live." And one traces this Jewish prayer in all English private history, from the prayers of King Richard, in Richard of Devizes' Chronicle, to those in the diaries of Sir Samuel Romilly, and of Haydon the painter. "Abroad with my wife," writes Pepys piously, "the first time that ever I rode in my own coach; which do make my heart rejoice and praise God, and pray him to bless it to me, and continue it." The bill for the naturalization of the Jews (in 1753) was resisted by petitions from all parts of the kingdom, and by petition from the city of London, reprobating this bill, as "tending extremely to the dishonor of the Christian religion, and extremely injurious to the interests and commerce of the kingdom in general, and of the city of London in particular."
But they have not been able to congeal humanity by act of Parliament. "The heavens journey still and sojourn not," and arts, wars, discoveries, and opinion, go onward at their own pace. The new age has new desires, new enemies, new trades, new charities, and reads the Scriptures with new eyes. The chatter of French politics, the steam-whistle, the hum of the mill, and the noise of embarking emigrants, had quite put most of the old legends out of mind; so that when you came to read the liturgy to a modern congregation, it was almost absurd in its unfitness, and suggested a masquerade of old costumes.
No chemist has prospered in the attempt to crystallize a religion. It is endogenous, like the skin, and other vital organs. A new statement every day. The prophet and apostle knew this, and the nonconformist confutes the conformists, by quoting the texts they must allow. It is the condition of a religion, to require religion for its expositor. Prophet and apostle can only be rightly understood by prophet and apostle. The statesman knows that the religious element will not fail, any more than the supply of fibrine and chyle; but it is in its nature constructive, and will organize such a church as it wants. The wise legislator will spend on temples, schools, libraries, colleges, but will shun the enriching of priests. If, in any manner, he can leave the election and paying of the priest to the people, he will do well. Like the Quakers, he may resist the separation of a class of priests, and create opportunity and expectation in the society, to run to meet natural endowment, in this kind. But, when wealth accrues to a chaplaincy, a bishopric, or rectorship, it requires moneyed men for its stewards, who will give it another direction than to the mystics of their day. Of course, money will do after its kind, and will steadily work to unspiritualize and unchurch the people to whom it was bequeathed. The class certain to be excluded from all preferment are the religious, — and driven to other churches; — which is nature's _vis medicatrix_.
The curates are ill paid, and the prelates are overpaid. This abuse draws into the church the children of the nobility, and other unfit persons, who have a taste for expense. Thus a bishop is only a surpliced merchant. Through his lawn, I can see the bright buttons of the shopman's coat glitter. A wealth like that of Durham makes almost a premium on felony. Brougham, in a speech in the House of Commons on the Irish elective franchise, said, "How will the reverend bishops of the other house be able to express their due abhorrence of the crime of perjury, who solemnly declare in the presence of God, that when they are called upon to accept a living, perhaps of 4000 pounds a year, at that very instant, they are moved by the Holy Ghost to accept the office and administration thereof, and for no other reason whatever?" The modes of initiation are more damaging than custom-house oaths. The Bishop is elected by the Dean and Prebends of the cathedral. The Queen sends these gentlemen a _conge d'elire_, or leave to elect; but also sends them the name of the person whom they are to elect. They go into the cathedral, chant and pray, and beseech the Holy Ghost to assist them in their choice; and, after these invocations, invariably find that the dictates of the Holy Ghost agree with the recommendations of the Queen.
But you must pay for conformity. All goes well as long as you run with conformists. But you, who are honest men in other particulars, know, that there is alive somewhere a man whose honesty reaches to this point also, that he shall not kneel to false gods, and, on the day when you meet him, you sink into the class of counterfeits. Besides, this succumbing has grave penalties. If you take in a lie, you must take in all that belongs to it. England accepts this ornamented national church, and it glazes the eyes, bloats the flesh, gives the voice a stertorous clang, and clouds the understanding of the receivers.
The English church, undermined by German criticism, had nothing left but tradition, and was led logically back to Romanism. But that was an element which only hot heads could breathe: in view of the educated class, generally, it was not a fact to front the sun; and the alienation of such men from the church became complete.
Nature, to be sure, had her remedy. Religious persons are driven out of the Established Church into sects, which instantly rise to credit, and hold the Establishment in check. Nature has sharper remedies, also. The English, abhorring change in all things, abhorring it most in matters of religion, cling to the last rag of form, and are dreadfully given to cant. The English, (and I wish it were confined to them, but 'tis a taint in the Anglo-Saxon blood in both hemispheres,) the English and the Americans cant beyond all other nations. The French relinquish all that industry to them. What is so odious as the polite bows to God, in our books and newspapers? The popular press is flagitious in the exact measure of its sanctimony, and the religion of the day is a theatrical Sinai, where the thunders are supplied by the property-man. The fanaticism and hypocrisy create satire. Punch finds an inexhaustible material. Dickens writes novels on Exeter-Hall humanity. Thackeray exposes the heartless high life. Nature revenges herself more summarily by the heathenism of the lower classes. Lord Shaftesbury calls the poor thieves together, and reads sermons to them, and they call it `gas.' George Borrow summons the Gypsies to hear his discourse on the Hebrews in Egypt, and reads to them the Apostles' Creed in Rommany. "When I had concluded," he says, "I looked around me. The features of the assembly were twisted, and the eyes of all turned upon me with a frightful squint: not an individual present but squinted; the genteel Pepa, the good-humored Chicharona, the Cosdami, all squinted: the Gypsy jockey squinted worst of all."
The church at this moment is much to be pitied. She has nothing left but possession. If a bishop meets an intelligent gentleman, and reads fatal interrogations in his eyes, he has no resource but to take wine with him. False position introduces cant, perjury, simony, and ever a lower class of mind and character into the clergy: and, when the hierarchy is afraid of science and education, afraid of piety, afraid of tradition, and afraid of theology, there is nothing left but to quit a church which is no longer one.
But the religion of England, — is it the Established Church? no; is it the sects? no; they are only perpetuations of some private man's dissent, and are to the Established Church as cabs are to a coach, cheaper and more convenient, but really the same thing. Where dwells the religion? Tell me first where dwells electricity, or motion, or thought or gesture. They do not dwell or stay at all. Electricity cannot be made fast, mortared up and ended, like London Monument, or the Tower, so that you shall know where to find it, and keep it fixed, as the English do with their things, forevermore; it is passing, glancing, gesticular; it is a traveller, a newness, a surprise, a secret, which perplexes them, and puts them out. Yet, if religion be the doing of all good, and for its sake the suffering of all evil, _souffrir de tout le monde et ne faire souffrir personne_, that divine secret has existed in England from the days of Alfred to those of Romilly, of Clarkson, and of Florence Nightingale, and in thousands who have no fame.


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The Landscape Expo is a regional trade show and educational conference for landscape professionals from all facets of the industry. Featuring hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees every fall for the past 60 years, the Landscape Expo is the premier event for landscape professionals in the western United States.
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Prior Technical Consultants considers the protection of personal data essential. We therefore process your data with the utmost care.
With this privacy statement we inform you about how we handle personal data.
1. Who is responsible for the processing of your data?
In this privacy statement, Prior Technical Consultants (hereinafter "Prior" or "we") describes how it handles your personal data as controller.
2. What is personal data?
Information about an identified or identifiable natural person is considered as personal data. Whether certain information should be qualified as personal data depends in part on whether Prior has legal means that can reasonably be assumed to be used to identify a data subject.
3. Personal data that we process
We process personal data about you because you provide us data when entering into an agreement with us, but also when you use our services and provide us data, or enable us to record information about your interests and preferences.
Information provided to us
If you enter into an agreement with Prior, we will need the following personal information from you:
– name (business) and address;
– contact details (telephone numbers, e-mail addresses);
– gender;
– customer number(s);
– financial data (bank account information, offers, invoices);
– other data relevant to the agreement concerned.
Information about your use of our services and / or products
If you make use of Prior's services or otherwise contact us, we process – as part of our service – depending on the exact use you make of it – the following data that can be seen as personal data:
customer satisfaction data.
4. No processing of personal data
We do not intend to collect data from website visitors.
5. Processing: foundations and legitimate interests
The processing of personal data takes place on the basis of the following principles from Article 6 of the General Data Protection Regulation:
1) Permission;
2) Implementation of an agreement with you;
3) Legal obligation;
4) Fulfilling a task of general interest;
5) Justified interest of Prior or a third party.
Justifiable interests include: marketing, advertising, security, (crime) prevention, IT management, research and analysis into own products or services, business management, legal affairs, internal management.
6. Purposes for the processing of personal data
Prior processes your personal data for the purposes mentioned below. The figure behind each goal corresponds to the basis mentioned in article 5 of this privacy statement.
– Building and maintaining the customer relationship including maintaining a direct relationship between the responsible and related financial service providers, including for commercial purposes [basis: 2, 5].
– Handling assignments (including invoicing), processing in financial administrations and logistic handling [basis: 2, 5].
– Providing customer service including service around services and products and dealing with complaints and requests (basis: 2, 3, 4 or 5).
– In certain cases maintaining communication in order to proactively contact customers (basis: 2 or 5).
– Conducting market research to improve our operations, brands, services and products [basis: 5].
– Approach you with offers or other commercial information. You always have the option to unsubscribe by making an objection. All communication indicates how you can do this [base: 1 or 5].
– Improving the content of our communication by adjusting it to your personal preferences [basis: 5].
– The (further) development and improvement of new and existing products and services [basis: 5].
– Measuring customer satisfaction, providing management information and determining the overall business strategy [base: 1 or 5].
– Compliance with legal obligations, settlement of disputes and enforcement of our rights and agreements [basis: 3, 4 or 5].
– Improving data quality using address validation techniques [base: 5].
– Linking and analysing cookies from our websites to known customer data. We do this in order to adjust the content of our communication as much as possible to your personal preference [base: 1 or 5].
7. Share with third parties
Prior will share your personal data with third parties in the following cases and with accompanying reasons. The figure behind each goal corresponds to the basis mentioned in article 5 of this privacy statement:
– if we are legally obliged or authorized to provide personal data to third parties [base: 3];
– if we suspect a violation of the rights of third parties, of criminal offenses or of abuse, we may provide personal data to third parties with a legitimate interest or to bodies that serve the general interest. These may also be enforcement authorities, such as the Public Prosecution Service or supervisors [base: 3, 4 or 5];
– with parties that assist Prior in its services and are not processors (e.g. accountants, insurers and (legal) advisors) [basis: 5];
– for business economic purposes (such as the sale of business activities or shares or a reorganization) [basis: 5].
Prior also uses services from third parties that act as "processors". These service providers will only process personal data in accordance with the instructions and under the control of Prior.
8. How long do we retain data?
We retain personal data as long as (i) you are a customer of Prior or continue to show interest in the services of Prior, (ii) we are legally obliged to retain data, or (iii) we are justified in being able to retain data, for as necessary.
9. Register website visit
When you visit or use our websites, services, applications, communication services (such as e-mail) and resources, we may use cookies, web beacons and other similar technologies for the purpose of storing information for the purpose of personalizing your advertising statements and providing you with a better to offer a faster and safer customer experience. If you do not want cookies, you can refuse them.
10. Your rights, including the right to object
You have the right to know what personal data we have recorded about you and to whom we have provided your personal data. You can contact us for this. Prior will endeavour to respond within the legal deadline. Excessive requests can be left out of treatment.
In addition to the right of access, you have the following rights with respect to our processing of your personal data:
– the right to withdraw your consent, insofar as our processing of your personal data is based on it;
– the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority;
– the right to rectify / correct your personal data;
– the right to delete your personal data;
– the right to limit your processing;
– the right to data portability;
– the absolute right to object to direct marketing;
– the right to object to processing that takes place due to the legitimate interests of Prior or a third party (depending on your personal circumstances).
You can only exercise your rights insofar as the law grants you these rights. To make sure that the request for access has been made by yourself, we ask you to send a copy of your proof of identity with this request. We also ask you to make the passport photo, MRZ (machine readable zone, the strip with numbers at the bottom of the passport), passport number and citizen service number (BSN) unrecognizable on this copy.
11. Security and protection of data
Prior applies appropriate security measures to minimize misuse, loss, unauthorized access, unwanted disclosure and unauthorized modification. Prior has taken both technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data. These security measures are periodically reviewed based on threats.
12. Contact
For questions and / or comments regarding this privacy statement, please contact:
Prior Technical Consultants
Herculesweg 16
4338 PL Middelburg
Tel. +31 (0) 118 674 074
13. Changes
The way we process personal data, and the composition or quantity of data that we process, may change. That is why we reserve the right to change this privacy statement. You will be informed of a change if necessary. This privacy statement always indicates the latest date of change.
This statement was last revised on the 28th of August 2018.


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Wheatgrass contains some of the highest concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients when compared to other fruits and vegetables. It is also one of nature's richest sources of chlorophyll and hundreds of other live enzymes and nutrients. Until recently, obtaining juice from this miracle plant required purchasing expensive juicers or making a trip to your local juice bar to purchase a shot of wheatgrass juice.
Now, with the new Z-Star Manual Juicer, Tribest makes it affordable to be able to juice wheatgrass and other fruits and vegetables at home, or on the go. Its unique single-auger design uses an extremely gentle and efficient process to extract more high-quality juice from each blade of wheatgrass, without electric power.
Not only can it juice wheatgrass, the Z-Star Manual Juicer can also extract great tasting and nutritious juice from a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens.
In addition, the Z-star z710 includes a special blank screen that allows you to hand-crank your own nut butters or frozen banana (or other fruit) sorbet(ice cream)
The Z-Star Manual Juicer is lightweight, portable and versatile, so you can enjoy fresh juice wherever you go!
The all-new Z-710 includes a new Ultem auger that is 8x harder than the auger on the previous version of the Z-Star manual juicer.
The Z-710 also has the dual-stage juicing screen with increased surface area that extracts more juice than other juicers in its class.
Easily Extracts the Healthy Benefits of chlorophyll from Wheat Grass.
Wheat Grass Juice contains approximately 70% Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has show to have many health benefits and has proven to be a natural body cleanser, rebuilder, and neutralizer of body toxins.
Z-Star Manual Juicer
How long does it take to juice with the Z Star? We juiced two pounds of carrots in about 10 minutes. The juice was a fair bit pulpy, so we reccomend straining it after it comes out of the juicer.
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I noticed that there are several articles on using Web Setup projects, but no articles could be found for Windows Setup projects. So I decided to share what I know about the VS Windows Setup Projects. I will be using the RunOnlyOnceCS.exe demo app I created for another CodeProject article, as the application we are creating the setup for.
Sooner or later, you need to create a setup project for an application. Personally, I am not a big fan of this type of distribution for an application. Still it has its uses. Using a setup project can be a good solution for a Windows application that has many dependencies on other assemblies / DLLs. The setup will figure out what the dependencies are for the application and automatically include them.
Note: This does not include the .NET framework.
This article is going to rely on screen prints since there really isn't any code for this. The output will be a *.msi file that will install the application file(s), and add a shortcut to the desktop and to the Programs menu.
Note: if the user does not have admin rights to their box, they will not be able to run the MSI script or install new applications on their box.
After you have created a new setup project, the first thing you will want to do is change the ProductName property on the setup project to match the application you are creating the setup for. I would also suggest changing the RemovePreviousVersion property to true. This is helpful when you want to release your next version of your app through this setup project.
Next, click on the "Application folder", then right click, and click on Add/File. At this point, you will be able to add the Exe you are trying to create the setup for.
Note: if you make changes to the Exe, you will need to re-compile the setup project as well. It might be a good choice to add a setup project to your Windows project solution. Then you can choose the project output option instead of the file.
Note: if you know what a merge module is and want to add one to the setup project, you need to right click on the setup project and click Add Merge Module.
Note: you must also add any config or icon files you may need for this solution, here:
Next, I always set the Always Create for the Program Directory to true. This is done by clicking on the "Application Folder" and then going to the properties.
Note: the DefaultLocation property will always be: [ProgramFilesFolder] [Manufacturer]\[ProductName]. If you want it to be something else, this is where to change it. Notice that the solution explorer has recognized the dependency or need for the .NET Framework for this app to run.
Note: this does not mean that the setup will install the .NET re-distributable framework. That is its own setup. The setup file is around 24 MB in size and can be downloaded from here.
Note: the setup can not install a .NET application without the .NET Framework already installed.
Next, we want to create a shortcut to our application on the desktop. First, click on the "User's desktop" folder. Then right click and click on "Create New Shortcut".
Next, you will see a dialog box to choose the application you want to create a shortcut to. Go to "Application folder" and add the exe you added in the previous step.
If you click on the "User's desktop" and go to the Properties window, you will see some options. Something I normally add to the shortcut is a check to see if it already exists. This is an example of what little coding you can do in a setup project. I have turned on AlwaysCreate on the shortcut property. In doing this, I need to have a condition or I will multiply my desktop shortcuts with every new release. So I set the Transitive property to True and I set the condition to FILEEXISTS1<>"Shortcut to RunOnceOnlyCS.exe", where what is in the "" needs to match the name of the shortcut.
Note: if you want your shortcut to have your application's icon, you need to add your icon file to the "Application folder". Next, click on the shortcut you just created in your "User's desktop". There is an icon property. Click the down arrow to get the dialog box. Navigate to the "Application folder" and select the icon file you just added.
Next, if you want to create a shortcut in the Start/All Programs menu, it is very similar to creating a shortcut on the "User's desktop". First, click on the "User's programs menu", then right click and add a folder. Name the folder the same as whatever your company or manufacturer name would be. Then, click on that newly created folder and add a shortcut just like we did in the step above.
Finally, when you need to create a new setup for the next release of your application, you need to go to the setup project properties and change the version before you re-compile the setup project.
Once you click off the version property, you will get a prompt to update the GUID for the ProductCode.
Note: if you do not click the Yes button in the dialog, you must manually get a new GUID for the ProductCode for the setup to properly remove the old program and install the new program.
Note Do Not: change the UpgradeCode GUID. If you do, the user will have to uninstall the old program manually before the new version can be installed.
One thing that is really nice about the Setup Project is that it automatically adds your Windows application you are trying to install to Add/Remove Programs. So once this has been installed, you can go to Add/Remove Programs and remove the app, and it will clean up all the files and folders that were created. I guess this is in part why you might be using a setup project in the first place.
I hope this article has given you a taste of how to use the VS Setup Project. It is not the perfect solution for distributing Windows applications, but it is useful in certain situations where this solution fits the need.
This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)
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In the past few years, ransomware has become one of the most widespread and dangerous forms of malware. This type of malicious software can infect your computer, smartphone, or tablet, and hold your data hostage until you pay a ransom. If you're not careful, your Android device could be infected with ransomware and your business could suffer from data loss or other crippling problems. In this blog post, we'll discuss what mobile ransomware is and how you can protect yourself and your business against it.
How does mobile ransomware work?
Android users may unknowingly download mobile apps riddled with ransomware from third-party app stores or even legitimate ones like Google Play Store. Once these apps are installed, the ransomware is launched, locking the device and encrypting the data it contains. The victim may see a ransom note on the screen demanding payment, usually in cryptocurrency, in exchange for unlocking the device or for the decryption key.
In 2020, Microsoft reported on a particularly sophisticated ransomware strain. It locks a mobile device's screen and shows a message telling the user that they committed a crime and must pay a fine. The message purports to be from the police, and users cannot dismiss the ransom note. Cybercriminals have been using this technique to make their victims panic, making the latter more likely to pay up.
What should you do if your Android device is infected?
Just as with ransomware that affects computers, there's no guarantee that paying the ransom will restore access to the device and/or encrypted data. This is why cybersecurity and law enforcement professionals advise against giving in to cybercriminals' demands. To prevent further infections within your network, experts recommend that you immediately disconnect the infected smartphone or tablet from your business's Wi-Fi or home network and other devices it's connected to.
Next, report the incident to your in-house IT staff or managed services provider, who can help find out what type of ransomware you're dealing with. They can also figure out the best way to remove the ransomware and help you regain control of your device.
How do you protect your business from mobile ransomware?
Remind your employees to download from official app stores only; they should never download from third-party app stores and websites, as well as online forums. Additionally, make sure they turn on Google's security system, Verify Apps, which scans apps for potential threats before these can be installed. Employees can do this on their Android devices by going to Settings > Security > Verify Apps and enabling "Scan device for security threats."
Another step you can take is to ensure that all your employees' mobile devices have antivirus software installed, and that these devices are always kept up to date and running the latest version of Android. Google releases security updates regularly, which often include fixes for newly discovered vulnerabilities.
Finally, regularly back up important files on mobile devices to either a USB drive, a computer, or any cloud-based storage service. This helps ensure your staff won't lose valuable data if they need to reset their smartphone or tablet.
By following these tips, you can help keep your Android devices and business safe from mobile ransomware attacks.
Stay vigilant. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions on how to protect your business from different kinds of cyberthreats.


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Casey Kasem Has Gone Missing, Judge Demands Answers
Radio legend Casey Kasem is missing.
A Los Angeles judge ordered an investigation to find the 82-year-old icon after his wife, Jean, said he was taken out of the country.
Kasem has advanced Parkinson's disease, can't speak and is fed through a tube.
Kasem's wife and his adult kids from a previous marriage have been feuding, with the children saying they have not been allowed to see their father. The kids believe Kasem has been sent to an Indian reservation in Washington state, even after a lawyer for Jean Kasem said Casey is now in another country, although he does not know which one.


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'Holiday Memory' Self-Led Activities
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Dylan Thomas Centre
Activities include magnetic poetry, make and write a postcard, make a mini comic, fun felt story making, traditional seaside puppets, story making games, and reading corner, all inspired by Dylan Thomas' radio broadcast 'Holiday Memory'.
Please note that these are non-tutored activities available for families to use together. Great for families with children of all ages.
Drop-in, free.
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