A Theory of Justice

"Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory however elegant and economical must be rejected or revised if it is untrue; likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust.

Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others. It does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by the many.

Therefore in a just society the liberties of equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to political bargaining or to the calculus of social interests." 

"Being first virtues of human activities, truth and justice are uncompromising."

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Page 1

This is a very well written statement regarding justice. It is a theory of justice that is diametrically opposed to the judicial oversight the current conservative Congressional leaders Tom DeLay and Jim Sensenbrenner would like to impose on America in pursuit of their conservative, Christian (rather than U.S. Constitution based) agenda. How much different is their agenda from that of the "extreme" religious Muslim governments around the world they so strongly oppose?