Wednesday, February 6, 2013

My understanding of Isonomy is based on the concepts of
* Judicial Reform for equal justice and peace
by moving from Retributive Justice toward Restorative Justice
(focus on correction and restitution instead of judgment and punishment)
* Legislative Reform based on respect for the consent of the governed
by conflict resolution (instead of conflicts of interest)
and equal protection of the laws (instead of political bullying by partisan abuse of majority-rule)
* Executive Reform based on equal law enforcement and security
by collective responsibility (instead of collective punishment) and collaborative economics between business, church, nonprofit and government groups (instead of unfair competition by abusing collective influence or corporate personhood to bypass checks and balances under the Constitution)

Restorative Justice vs. Retributive Justice

If people practice Retributive Justice, this rewards political bullying to reject, coerce, and dominate others by competing for unequal resources, power, and defense; instead, by practicing Restorative Justice, respecting consent, protection and representation of all views and interests equally, then we can enforce equal justice under law as our Constitution laws require.

Restorative Justice is the secular equivalent of Christ Jesus authority

Restorative Justice allows for free exercise of religion without imposing on diverse religious beliefs or dissenting political views. Where there is conflict instead of consensus, people who place church authority above state law, or state authority above church law, run into "Catch-22" dilemmas, where one side or the other in a religious conflict stands to have beliefs excluded by government where the Constitutional requires equal protection.  Clearly there must be an agreement on authority and law before making decisions that otherwise impose a one-sided bias.

Recognizing Differences

Many people confuse church law with state law, and abuse rights under civil laws
to issue judgment using church law, or misapplying the forgiveness under church law
to deny responsibilities for equal protections and restitution under secular laws.

Forgiveness under church laws does not remove the responsibility for restitution under state laws.
This shows the difference between spiritual peace and freedom and
political peace and freedom, where spiritual forgiveness is freely
given for the asking, not earned, but received by forgiving and asking forgiveness;
while political freedom and peace is earned by our words, intentions, and actions
to enforce the laws, including responsibility for correction and restitution.

What makes citizens law-abiding is taking responsibility for our actions and consequences,
so when we deny that responsibility we effectively lose our rights of citizens. The Golden Rule
of reciprocity applies to us by natural laws; not only is the Government supposed to respect
individual rights under the Bill of Rights and Constitution, but we must do the same to invoke these rights.

What gives us authority of government is taking responsibility for the actions and consequences
of others in addition to ourselves, not in place of.  Whoever acts to provide for restitution where citizens have been robbed, deprived or denied is thus claiming government authority by exercising it to defend Constitutional laws of equal protection, inclusive representation, due process and justice for all; and whoever denies this responsibility loses authority.

-- Emily Nghiem