Borders are a curious thing, their nature being proprietary.
Some loosely defined and others meticulously so even to the airspace above and offshore extensions as in territorial waters.
Ownership and a sense of territory exist in every living breathing entity inhabiting this planet, a concept destined to create conflict.
It has become cliche on the internet to quote the words of indigenous people that no one owns the land, yet all nations have in fact established ownership by claiming territory, not only claimed but engaged in conflict to defend or increase it’s size.
The word own doesn’t frighten me, for we all own things including land either individually or communally – what does bother me are attitudes often attached to this sense of ownership, the convoluted legalese that now more than ever defines ownership, the manipulation and “legal” ability to encroach fostered by policies like imminent domain.
This proprietary sense gave birth to huge swaths of land being given to the railroads and has always raised the question for me of who deeded the land to the government in the first place?
It fostered land rushes and homesteading on ndn land like those portrayed in the silent film Birth of a Nation-some would attempt to argue the point that treaties validated such things,or might made right, yet a treaty violated is invalid, and every treaty made with the nations has been violated and invalidated, and we all know might is no guarantee of being right
The nations are into the game now, buying, selling, and leasing land.
Perhaps it is the only game in town and all that is left – any land acquired or regained comes with the proclamation that it is ndn country, our land, we own it.
Settlements are an overt admission of an ownership never faithfully addressed and routinely ignored.
As a people we say we owned that land, government grudgingly allows such was the case and here’s some money for your troubles.
A solution that has become mainstream and apparently agreeable to both parties
as the money then becomes ours in lieu of the land.
We own the money inspite of strings that may be attached…kind of like that land trust deal.
Doesn’t really seem like an equitable solution to me but then it too may be the only game in town.
The world has become an increasingly complex place to live, a complexity based in
large part on language – that legalese and manipulation thing that permeates every aspect of every sleeping and waking moment.
I read once that something like five thousand new laws are introduced yearly, some literal and others technical related to various acts of legislation.
If true and that were to be reduced by half it remains a staggering number, but again it is about language – introduce new law or legislation and additional ones will follow to interpret and address the nuances of language, ad infinitum.
It’s very much like a dog or cat chasing their tail, or removing shingles from a roof area that doesn’t leak and transferring them to one that does – a never ending board game of rolling dice and moving pieces.
During war time rationing often becomes the way of, I think governments, politicians, and legislation on a global scale should be subject to a rationing of words, a quota they cannot violate.
If so I believe that would lend itself to well being, a simplification of the bloated complexity, and ultimately a transparent representation.
