l prefer to distinguish Ned Kelly's political ideology from his murderous actions. Just because someone is a killer does not, in my mind, negate his assertion that 1+1=2. l don't like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

There are a few murderous killers about in the halls of government at the moment, but that does not seem to diminish the conviction of those that support them. They believe in the direction even if they find the method a bit distasteful.

The historical detail of Columbus and Galileo aside, the point of those examples is to highlight the potential folly of 'being in touch' with the dictates of governace, as you highlight in your refernce to the dictates of the Catholic Church, with which, l suspect most of the 'in touch' populace were in agreement. Me thinks they are the equivelant of the two headed beast that is left/right political government.

l think the assertion of return to surfdom is a bit extreme, tho l take your point. l think things have swayed too far in one direction and might benefit from swinging back toward the middle.

In terms of 'looking after' someone's lives... that is a claim on others or myself that l don not recognise. l do not recognise the transference of a person's responsibility from them to me. l may choose to assist, as l often do of my own free will, but l do not recognise the implicit coercive claim upon me as a vasal thru which others may enable their needs. l have my own needs and being forced to feed those that make a claim on my existence is not one of those them.