AboutRichard Aberdeen Expertise Author and songwriter; owner of Freedom Tracks Records, Nashville, Tennessee. Published three books available online at www.RichardAberdeen.com Can answer questions regarding the difference between Christianity and the historical Jesus and the differences between Christianity and what the Bible actually says. Extensive background in the Bible and biblical historical cultures. Lifetime student of history, biography and general sciences. Major sources of study include Encyclopedia Britannica, the Bible, Will Durant and many different world and American historians.
Experience Hands on experience helping the homeless. Have done extensive research on Human and Civil Rights, major historical figures relating to such and how Human Rights relate to the modern American experience. Author of 3 books and over 75 released songs.
Organizations The Aberdeen Foundation www.AberdeenFoundation.org Freedom Tracks Records www.FreedomTracks.com Tennessee Songwriters Association www.tnsai.com
Publications Published Songs: www.FreedomTracks.com/songinfo.html
Published Books: www.RichardAberdeen.com
Currently writer for www.examiner.com
Education/Credentials Self-educated; Extensive studies in Bible, ancient history, American history, general sciences and related studies; main sources include Encyclopedia Britannica, Will Durant and many different world and American historians. Information available at: www.RichardAberdeen.com
Question Is stockpiling food illegal? what are the limits?
Answer It is not entirely clear what you mean by "illegal" in relation to stockpiling food. It is not "illegal" to stockpile food or other goods in most modern nations. Perhaps what you mean is it "immoral", that is, against human rights. Almost all human beings stockpile a certain amount of food and other goods, most certainly all those who live in a house and, even most homeless people have some possessions.
I think the moral answer to your question lies in the quantity of food or other goods individual people on up to cities, states and nations choose to stockpile. I believe human rights are based on the foundation that we should treat other people like we would want them to treat us. Thus, it seems rational that we should strive to give to those less fortunate than ourselves, what we don't logically need to survive ourselves. Some might carry this to the extreme that we should love our neighbor more than our self or instead of our self, but I don't agree. If we don't care about our own selves, then we won't be able to care very well about other people.
Many if not most people would probably agree it is immoral for someone to own five mansions while other people sleep under bridges. On the other hand, most people would probably agree it is not immoral to live in an inexpensive house, just because some people don't have a place to live. Thus, we as individual human beings must make our own choices of how much wealth we are going to stockpile, as opposed to how much of our wealth we are going use to help others.
Translating this into nations stockpiling food can be applied in the same manner. It is logical that within a large modern population, a certain amount of food and other goods needs to be stockpiled in order for a large national economy to function well. It is hard to imagine how the United States, United Kingdom, Germany or any other large modern nation could survive if there was no warehousing, trucking, railroading or shipping of food and other basic commodities.
Proper human rights theory can be applied on both a small individual level, a local group level and on up to a national and international scale. The foundation remains the same, that we should treat other people as we would like them to treat us. Thus, we should likewise, treat groups of people on up to nations of people in the same way, like we want them to treat us. Thus, it is logical as a nation, that we should limit the stockpiling of food and other commodities to a reasonable survival necessity level, rather than eliminate it entirely.
To the credit of the United States and many other wealthy nations, there is a historical track record of wealthy nations giving their excess food to poor nations. To their discredit, this largess is often spread unevenly and for political purposes and otherwise, is not done nearly enough or on as large and fair scale as it should be. There is no rational reason why, if all people on our planet limited what we stockpile to reasonable survival levels, that everyone in the world could be not be adequately housed, clothed and fed.
More information on human rights can be found at: www.RichardAberdeen.com
