GeneralSaturday, March 18th, 2006, (8:36 pm)
With America being celebrated among Americans as “the land of the free” I’d like to ask you a question. What is your idea of freedom? What does freedom mean to you. Do you consider yourself more free than others, and what do you use to measure your freedom?
Wrote the following comment on Mar 18, 2006 at 6:25 pm
My girls tend to hang out in groups, groups that are mixed. Roles seem less certain now.If they are school groups they include Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, straight or gay.Church groups share a bit more in common.Bruce
Wrote the following comment on Mar 19, 2006 at 4:53 am
I don’t think we have the freedom that we once did. The government is slowly chipping away at our freedom of speech, our right to express ourselves and even have a hand in what we’re allowed to think about. An example.. My neighbors daughter was having trouble with some girls at school and she expressed to the guidance counselor that she was unhappy and angry at the way they were treating her. The guidance counselor gave her a journal and told her to write down her deepest darkest feelings and that he would help her sort out her feelings. She did. She wrote that she hated this one girl and wished she would die. She didn’t say she was plotting her death mind you. Just a 14 year olds way of expressing herself. Not in a nice way perhaps but it’s a normal teenage expression. We’ve probably all been there at some point or another. She also mentioned in the journal that she wished that her and this girl could talk about the problem without all of her friends butting in. The result? she was expelled for making terroristic threats to another student.So what does that say to this kid and her classmates? You can be manipulated into devulgeing your thoughts and if those thoughts aren’t nice and pretty you can be punished for them even though you haven’t and have no intention of acting on them. You hear about stories like this everyday. Kids being punished for what they think. That scares me because I think that a negative feeling that goes without being dealt with can be dangerous. Being expelled won’t make those feelings just disappear.If as adults we now feel our civil liberties being slowly taken away, it scares me to think what the next generation will be like. I wonder if our kids will even remember what those freedoms once were, having never really experienced them.To me freedom is being able to choose, express ones self, live without restrictions and fear. I do consider myself more free than others if you mean some other countries where you are told where to live, how to pray, how many children to have etc.. but not as free as I once was and I compare that to how things use to be here.Good question. I had to really think hard hard about it.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 18, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Athough we have more freedom than most countries and I don’t doubt that, I know we must seem like we whine about certain things. To me since 9-11 (oh my i said it….like a repeated excuse) we have alot less freedom in what we can say. I live in Bush Country (tx obv.) and what totally pisses me off is that we cannot say anything about the pres. in a negative way. Yeah, we say crap about him at BBQ’s, or in an e-mail, receive the over forwarded daily joke about him via e-mail…..but what if my Egyptian-American brother-n-law said something like say..on an airplane….what would happen to him? I am also very pro-choice and now in 2 states (can’t remember exactly which ones) it is illegal to get an abortion unless the mother’s life is threatened.
Our freedom is supposed to be what our country was founded on and we have to “live” with these changes although it is our “freedoms” that are taken away. I understand that the world changes and we have to “evolve” but when you look at it, some of these changes only benefit people in power….and our country is supposed to be built on freedoms of the people…”the population”. We could sit and be evolutionized and end up like say…Iraq where they were ruled so long by a tyranny….and yet we pity them. We may seem like we have freedom….but we are slowly losing any right to have a difference of opinion.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 19, 2006 at 6:12 am
I agree with everyone else here. You are definetly “free” to say anything you want but at an expense. Especially if its something negative that comes out of your mouth. In public, dissing the president would probably get me in trouble. At work, it could be construed as terrorist thoughts or being unpatriotic. So even though you have the “freedom” of speech, it is not so.
Stricter rules have been put in place for all types of different things, from what is polically correct to say to how you act in public. The craziest one I’ve heard recently is from a co-worker whos 5 yr old son was expelled from school for a week for leaning over and sticking his finger in the belt loop of the girl who was sitting in front of him. The school officials said it was sexual harrassment. What happened to giving each other wedgies in grade school? Kids would probably get in big trouble for that now a days.
Freedom to me is being able to opt out of certain things such as social security. Why am I paying taxes on social security when the calculators all say I’m pretty much not going to get any of it when I get to retirement age? Its absurd that I should have to pay that tax if I’m not going to be able to take advantage of it later. Why can’t I opt out of it?
I am more free than many others but the “restrictions” are sometimes unreasonable and I feel in many cases, the energy used to police those “restrictions” should be much better spent elsewhere.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 18, 2006 at 11:10 pm
I agree with barbie. If things continue the way they are, we’ll be on our way to a scary police state. While it’s not illegal to make fun of Bush, I’ve become scared to do it lately. I don’t know how it is outside of Smalltown TX, but the second I say I dislike Bush, I’ve completely alienated myself. I currently have the “freedom” to say what I want, but at the expense of being cast aside as a “liberal faggot hippie”, which to me is not freedom.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 3:24 am
St Paddy’s day gets twenty odd comments. A grown up question gets five.I’m losing faith here folks! :-)
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 4:37 am
*punish, not publish
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 7:24 am
At present, freedom in America is an illusion. Sorry to be a pessimist, but that’s kind of how things are. Freedom isn’t just a legal concept, but a social and economic one too. In that regard, there have only been a few truly free people in this country throughout its entire history. Those who moved out west to claim lands, those people had a freedom that most of us will never ever know. They had to be nearly self sufficient because of their geography. So they were economically almost free. They had to be self sufficient socially, because the nearest neighbor was often miles away and the nearest town was a day’s journey. They were free culturally.At this point in time, we may have the legal freedom to do things like protest, but culturally we are in a context where people disapprove of it and we are considered subversive for doing so. We are watched with scrutiny if we pull our heads up above the herd to see what’s going on. Economically, more people are enslaved to banks and financial institutions to feed the god of consumerism.We’re more free than some people, but Americans don’t really have what I would consider freedom.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 10:12 am
Freedom – I like your question, it deserves a “grown-up answerâ€. Freedom is a wonderful concept and only realized through consideration of how our “freedom(s)†affect those around us – if my freedom encroaches on your freedom – who can be free to enjoy the freedom? I have traveled over much of the world, there is nothing more troubling for me than to be in another country and see my much-loved American compatriots imposing their “freedom(s)†upon those around them, they are rude, inconsiderate and they misrepresent the American culture away from home, with bad behavior. My freedom is found only in Christ – it has nothing to do with my surroundings, I was in Seoul Korea held at the airport in a caged area – I had my freedom in the area I was in, those outside the caged area were the ones who did not have their freedom.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 4:36 am
The concept of freedom is being discussed with great enthusiasm in the UK right now. There is a large movement that believes its freedoms are being eroded. New legislation designed at minimising the risk of terrorism and disorder are seen by many as an erosion of freedom and liberty.The constant proliferation of sophisticated devices to watch motorists and publish them for their every misdemeanour is seen as an easy way to make money by persecution. The erection of CCTV cameras on every corner of every street can watch you wherever you go The planned introduction of Identity Cards is vaunted as an attempt by the authorities to known everything about everyone all of the time.Sure, all of these things are taking bites out of our freedom. Some are good, some not so good. We must, however, look at this in context.We can still go out on a street corner and make a speech (as long was we are not inciting hatred). We are free to travel and have a very liberal range of media. We can dess how we like, and go where we want.So, relative to those many people around the world who are repressed and enjoy few of the liberties and rights that we do, I’d say we have a great deal of freedom. Of course, if the current level of new legislation continues, these freedoms will become fewer.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 5:00 am
I only answered the grown up question because I screwed up the kiddie one. I was going to blame it on the Corona….bet then I thought hmmm I didnt drink any. My part Irish butt did see V is for Vendetta with a person who thought I couldnt follow the movie…and gave me play by play explanations. I wanted to say…”Do you think I am dumb?…I’m Part Irish Dammit!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 6:24 am
Ditto the above.
People are too easily convinced that the way to stay safe is to give up personal freedoms and for everyone to be the same vanilla flavoring. And the current administration is all to happy to take them up on their offer. One thought, one religion, one society. You can see it now. Our rights are being eroded to the point of absurdity. Freedom of choice, freedom of expression, freedom to do what you like in your own home without bothering anyone, even the freedom to THINK. All being taken away in the interest of “national security.” Someone thinking we are not grown up enough to be able to take care of ourselves and that we need a caretaker government to keep us in line. And, if it’s like-minded people can make a buck off of manipulating and abusing the masses, then so be it.
Think I’m overreacting? I have an acquaintence who’s girlfriend is getting a security clearance because of her job in the Navy. When they did a security check on her, they also looked into her family and boyfriend. Now, the boyfriend is quite the hippie. He’s a registered socialist and a vocal atheist. He’s also a college student at Baylor University (which I hear is very Christian and very conservative). He does the peace rallies, active in student government, but he is non-violent. So what did the secrutiy clearance reveal? A six-inch file of paperwork that included reports on his activities and copies of his blogs!
So, people can blah blah blah about how free we are. It’s their right (for now) to do so. But take a look around and see that they are being taken away, slowly but surely. And you know what? If we, as a people, give it away to a government that is representing the people less and less, but it’s own interests more and more, then we deserve what we get. I believe the quote (incorrectly) attributed to Ben Franklin to be true, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty or safety.” Stay vigilant, folks.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Some good comments here so far. I’d like to hear more though, especially from some of my friends in Texas. You guys are living in Bush country, how do you feel about freedom?
A friend of mine in California suggested to me that our idea of freedom has become confused with our understanding of consumerism. I suspect most people can’t quantify any real loss of freedom(s) in their lives. The patriot act is very bad, yes. But ask your average every day American about that and they might struggle to tell you anything about the patriot act. However ask them something about the latest big deal on TV, or who Tom Cruise is currently seeing, and they’ll probably be able to tell you. It’s much the same here in the UK.
So why is that? Is it because politics is boring? Is it because our percieved freedom is pretty darn good now so we don’t really care? Or is it because we’re living in fear of the Islamic terrorists now (as opposed to the Soviets whom we feared in the 80’s and early 90’s).
What would it take for us to get off our asses and protest. To write to a politician and express our views – to vote even!
My Californian friend suggested that if tomorrow the government started restricting your movements by monitoring you there would probably be some resistance. But if the government suddenly made a law that restricted what soda you could buy there would be a fast and massive outrage. The scarey thing is, I don’t think he’s far wrong.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Freedom to me is a matter of being offeredchoices and being able to live your life according to your choices. Granted, I do believe there have to be boundaries and rules so there isn’t mass chaos. Total and utter freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want just is a disaster waiting to happen. For example…total and utter freedom might give my next door neighbor the opportunity to slash my throat if he doesn’t like the color I’ve chosen for my house. So, that’s not good. However, freedom to choose and express your religion, (unless it violates a human right for safety and the pursuit of happiness), freedom to express your opinions, freedom to live your life and pursue your dreams.
I do however, believe that our freedoms are slowly being taken away. I must admit, at times I am less informed about what our government is doing than others. At times I choose to take the ‘what I don’t know won’t hurt me’ approach. However, I am getting to the point in which I believe that might not be the best option. The new bill in washington…The Patriot Act…there are some good things aobut it…however, reading between the lines you see where the government is trying to take away our freedoms for the sake of safety. Being able to spy on people, tap their phones, pull up records…whatever, for any reason they deem a threat to the nation. Not good.
Yes, we have to live under rules to avoid chaos. However, we can not go meekly into the night and allow someone else to make choices for us. Like…why why why is it a crime to pray in school, or display any kind of Christian symbol in a public building. Why do we have to remove ‘In God We Trust’ from our heritage. I understand, not everyone believes in God. Ok, fine. However, our country was founded on a belief in God. And, it is a infringement on MY freedoms to take those away! Why can’t I express my opinions in public? For some reason, our ‘freedoms’ have been replaced by a need to ensure that society is not offended.
In addition, there is a move towards a level of ’safety and security’ that is frieghtening. A move towards putting computer chips in animals and people to ensure they are ’safe’. Frankly, that is scary.
So…freedom to me is something that we really don’t have any longer. Do we REALLY have the freedom of speach? Freedom of Religion? Freedom to assemble? I don’t think so. If you speak your opinion, someone is going to take you to court for defamation of character, racism, or some other thing. If you express your religion someone will take you to court because you are forcing your religion on them. If you assemble, you get taken to court because you are disturbing the peace or some stupid thing like that.
No…it seems to me in this country we are trying to put ourselves into a box of conformity and political correctness that is stripping individuality and stripping this country of what was great. We put all our time and energy into making sure no one is offended, and we are all ’safe’….while each day hundreds and dare I say thousands of children are being exploited by sexual predators, people are starving in our own home towns, and there are thousands of people without homes.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 3:24 pm
The option to piss others off without infringing on their space.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 5:02 pm
I don’t think that politics are boring. I think politics are confusing especially when you don’t know the answers. I can’t speak for anyone else but there was a day when I would have argued that the US was perfect. I can remember having an arguement with my friend Kevin who lives in Belgium a few days before 9/11 over IM and argueing that the US was the safest place in the world to live and that the shit that happened in other countries would never happen here. It was just a few nights later.. the evening of 9/11 that I found myself crouching on the floor of my bedroom with my daughter, in fear because we heard planes flying overhead. We live near an airport and normally wouldn’t have even noticed the sound. But it had been all over the news that no planes were allowed to fly.. It took me a few moments to realize that it was probaly military planes that we heard… I can’t recall a time in my life that I had been that frightened and I hope I never have to experience that fear again. People say that Americans have no concept of what goes on in other countries and I’ll be the first to admit that I had no clue. It was in that moment that the world got a whole lot bigger for me and I suddenly understood that there’s more going on in it than just what happens in my neighborhood.The next conversation that I had with my friend Kevin was more than a little awkward. I had no idea what to say. I knew I had been wrong and admitting it seemed pointless. He knew I knew. So here it is, Nearly 6 years later and I still don’t know what to say. I was arrogant back then and took my freedom for granted. I didn’t vote because I was raised in a very political family and it was my little way of rebelling I guess. I did vote for the first time in 2002. It felt good. I took my daughter with me and explained to her how important it is to vote. I wore the sticker they gave me on my shirt all day and I still have it. It’s stuck to the cabinet above my desk. I have written to my congressman and voiced my concerns about the patriot act. I realized the importants of helping my daughter learn about politics and our government and her rights as an American, because it dawned on me that if I don’t teach my child, and no one else teaches their child, eventually no one will have any idea of what those right were suppose to be.And then people such as yourself asks questions that I don’t know the answers to. Part of me wants to ignore it and go on to the next blog and talk about the weather or music or who Tom Cruise is seeing. It’s easier and safer than admitting that as an American I feel that my country is in serious trouble and I don’t know what to do about it. It’s a pride thing.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 20, 2006 at 5:07 pm
5 years later.. that was a typo
Wrote the following comment on Mar 21, 2006 at 8:00 am
Yee-haw I am the only Texan? Ok…well I can tell you what my opinion is about living here in Bush Country…but I only reflect little ol’ me so hopefully I will not get bombarded with political crap I care nothing about so here…
I live in the DFW area…TX is located striaght in the middle of the Bible Belt. This refelcts the states in the South who are predominately Conservative Republican Southern Baptists. The attitudes of the majority (not all) is Anti-Abortion, and Pro-Bush and his little war on Terrorist Prevention. After 9-11 we were all scared and wanted justice. Now its like, “What is really going on over there?” Its sooo complicated I dont really care anymore. I voted for Bush and I am not going to say if I like him now or if I did then. I voted Republican because th values and beliefs are what I believe in. Now matter who is representing that party, the responsible thing would be to vote rather than not because you didn’t like who was running for that party.
I get upset about the attitudes of the Southern Baptist mainly because I am so passionate about being Pro-Choice. I also feel like they are very judgemental and they tend to “run in packs”. I dont usually talk about politics because everyone has their own opinion. I dont want to impose mine on anyone nor do I want someone else to do it to me. I live my law-abiding life on my little lot I will own in 25 years in TX. I will vote in confidence that my gov will not take my liberties and freedoms away …..BTW…curious what a Conservative Southern Baptist looks like? GW in his Cowboy hat.
Another BTW…..I have an insane neighbor who ran for gov here. Go to his site. I’ll send his name via e-mail for you….do whatever you want with it. I have to live near him “shudder” so I will not post it publicly. I think you will find him very interesting Simon. :)