This nation’s government says it’s just only if based on the consent of the governed.

Consider Cancer Alley. Nobody consents to being given cancer. Nobody consents to being born with a birth defect. Yet Cancer Alley and other sacrifice zones are growing.

I don’t deny that people can benefit from perks that come from activities that pollute and deplete, but as long as they pollute and deplete, they violate what makes government just. You might like the perks, but you can’t consent for other people.

There is a word for people who “consent” for others. They are tyrants. If you claim to consent for someone else, you’re a tyrant. I’m not saying you’re good or bad. You have your values. I’m only saying something as simple as the sky is blue when I say that imposing “consent” on others is tyranny.

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• I reduced my social media use even more. →