Language: Public Means Public

[Guest guest]

I share your concerns, Elchanan, but you are misstating

and misrepresenting the facts. Public can refer to " government "

or " the people, " among other things.

 

Here is the definition of " Public " from Black's Law Dictionary

(note that it can be used as a noun and an adjective):

 

" Public (n): The whole body politic, or the aggregate of the

citizens of a state, nation, or municipality. The inhabitants

of a state, county, or community. In one sense, everybody,

and accordingly, the body of people at large; the community

at large, without reference to the geographical limits of any

corporation like a city, town, or country; the people. In another

sense, the word does not mean all the people, nor most of

the people, nor very many of the people of a place, but so many

of them as contradistinguishes them from a few. Accordingly,

it has been defined or employed as meaning the inhabitants

of a particular place; the people of the neighborhood. Also,

a part oft he inhabitants of a community. "

 

" Public (adj): Pertaining to a state, nation, or whole community;

proceeding from, relating to, or affecting the whole body of

people or an entire community. Open to all; notorious. Common

to all or many; general; open to common use. Belonging to

the people at large; relating to or affecting the whole people

of a state, nation, or community; not limited to or restricted to

any particular class of the community. "

 

Citing case law is meaningless. Case law is constantly

being refined, overruled, or revised. The term " public " is continuously

altered and opinioned in jurisprudence depending on the actual case.

That is why, in law, public refers to a noun, or to an adjective; and

the term usage even varies from state to state. " Public " modifies

many legal terms (from Public Advocate to Public Character to Public

Domain to Public Place to Public Welfare). These terms may or

may not have a governmental affiliation.

 

BTW, Black's law dictionary is used by judges, lawyers, and

scholars alike.

 

I believe the " world works as it does " not because the social

contract structure (government) has gone afoul, but because

the individual citizens (including the public servants) have gone

afoul. That's the animal nature--selfishness and self-interest.

When the individual citizens reform themselves, the system

will work just fine.

 

My theology teaches me that service to others is of the highest

spiritual and cultural value. There is a moment in the movie

" First Knight " where King Arthur is educating the newcomer

Lancelot about his " kingom " . He points to the round table

inscription: " By serving others, we serve ourselves. "

 

This ends this discussion. It is extrememly off-topic and no

longer relevant. Moving on...

 

tev

 

 

Elchanan <Elchanan wrote:

Tev,

 

In law, the word " public " means government, period. This is well documented

by the United States Supreme Court in the Dartmouth College case (1819) and

reaffirmed variously, as well as in the common law.

 

The JOB of every " public servant " is to serve the government. That a few

also attempt to serve We, the People speaks well of those individual men and

women, of course. But their JOB is to serve the government ... they have all

chosen to contract the services as such (whether or not they comprehended

the contract into which they entered).

 

That's the law, and it is quite unambiguous in this regard. The impact goes

far. For example, all " public-benefit corporations " exist to benefit the

government. This includes ALL corporations with which most people are

familiar ... for-profit, nonprofit, religious, educational, scientific, etc.

Once we comprehend this fundamental distinction in the law, we can begin to

comprehend why the world works as it does, why corporations and individual

people have the same " rights " , why much of the constitution seems to have

little or no force and effect in our daily lives, and so forth.

 

Elchanan

_____

 

 

____________________

The experience of dynamic religious living transforms the mediocre

individual into a personality of idealistic power. Religion ministers to

the progress of all through fostering the progress of each individual,

and the progress of each is augmented through the achievement of all.

[The Urantia Book: 1094:1][http://www.urantia.org/]

_____________________

 

http://www.vegconnect.com/

 

_____________________

 

 

 

Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows.

Answers - Check it out.