[Theodore R.]

In defense of the southerners, fewer than 30 percent owned even one slave. They saw slavery as a system of stable labor by which the slave gave up participation in the private market for a lifetime of support. Southerners like John C. Calhoun thought slavery more humane than the "wage slavery" of the northern factories. Everyone is a "slave" to some extent -- a slave to something. Few people are so "free" that they can move anywhere they wish at any time for any reason. In the 1850s, it was illegal to work a slave on Sundays. How many "wage slaves" today are required to work on Sunday? Still that does not excuse slavery. But we should not judge the 1850s by the PC ideology of the 2000s.

[azhenfud]

Great response!

You know - with individual freedom comes a requirement to take one's personal responsibility upon themself. Even though chattel slavery is morally wrong IMO, when I see individuals who lack sufficient responsibility and resources to govern their own destiny, I have to wonder do they really fare any better being a slave to the government or corporate master - where an inanimate, unfeeling entity provides them their "direction" and "meager sustenance".

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Oh, horsespit.

We've known from the days of Moses that slavery is evil.

The Southrons who declared independence rather than put up with northerners who disapproved of them were acting out of a desire to destroy criticism of a system they all knew in their hearts was totally Satanic. And they paid the price for their folly.

No need to refight the Civil War. We won, you lost, get over it.