It's a Free Country

[b4uqzme]

Just reflecting: I haven't heard that phrase in a long, long time. I remember years ago, when someone saw someone else doing something they disagree with, a common response was; "It's a free country".

1) we don't seem to be quite so free anymore
2) we're certainly not as tolerant anymore either.

[JohnR]

Economically, we're not in the top ten of freedom any more. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014...ree-countries/ Thanks, Barry.

But now that you mention it, you're right; I haven't heard that in a long time. Instead, you hear, "I'm offended and you should not be allowed to express that view!"

[muggsy]

Aw crap. I've been intolerant all of my life. There are a lot of things that I can't abide. People who act like A-holes top the list. Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose and were pretty damn close to free now. Think about it.

[JohnR]

Gotta be careful around someone with nothing left to lose...

[muggsy]

Got that one from Janis Joplin back when I was a hippie. Now there's someone with nothin left to lose.

[downtownv]

No one says it, because it's no longer true.

[JohnR]

I remember it being said by hippies who wanted to live in communes, not bathe, and get high all the time, in response to people who told them they were idiots.

[b4uqzme]

I remember it being said by hippies who wanted to live in communes, not bathe, and get high all the time, in response to people who told them they were idiots.

I remember my dad saying it when he saw those hippies. In other words, it looks stupid to me but I guess they can do whatever they want.

I guess that's the spirit I miss. Not using freedom to justify (your own) poor behavior but to tolerate those you disagree with. They have their freedom too. In return, I expect those I disagree with to tolerate me too and to respect my rights.

[VN Vet]

...and we are losing more of it every day. One day soon, We the People will be forced into telling the Government to stop it. My heart wishes we can do it peacefully at the Ballot Box, but my head tells me that won't work.

[berettabone]

All I've been hearing, is, I shouldn't have voted for that a hole.

[getsome]

I'll post this quote again by one of my favorite authors and visionaies Ayn Rand who wrote this back in the 50's and it seems to fit in this post quite well....

"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion, the stage where the Government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission and this is the stage of the darkest periods of human hisory, the stage of rule by brute force"...

I feel that as a free people we have had the wool pulled over our eyes for quite some time now slowly chipping away our Constitutional rights and leading us to become an unquestioning, cowering society fearful of the very Government we are supposed to be in control of....When we have to fear things like the IRS, NSA, TSA and the Patriot Act we are no longer a free people but slaves to a tyrannical over reaching all powerful Police State...

Now I used to believe we could change things at the ballot box but I no longer trust any politician to represent me and defend my rights because the whole political system has become corrupt and I also believe the ballot box has been compromised and is only a curtain covering the truth and only there to make the citizens believe their vote really counts for something and that the money that the Government confiscates from them in taxes really goes to a central bank to be used to run the country...

Now this may sound far fetched and I really hope it isn't true but I believe that the next President has already been decided and that any election is only a farce to make the sheeple believe they are still in control and I also believe that there is no way the amount of tax money the Government steals from us at the point of a gun is anywhere near enough to finance their runaway spending and without the Federal Reserve running the printng presses 24x7 the country would be bankrupt and America would be done...This is wrong, this makes me angry and I believe it's high time we put a stop to it before it's too late...

I believe it may come down to force and that day may be coming soon....We had true Patriots in this land once who got tired of it and stood up to England and shed their blood in order to be free men and that day may come again except this time the enemy lives in Washington DC....

[b4uqzme]

I genuinely believe and trust that we are reasonably safe from external enemies. To getsome's point...I agree that the most fearful, current, enemy is our own government and/or those who wish to manipulate it at the cost of our rights and liberties.

I'm cautiously pessimistic.

[VN Vet]

getsome, I thank you very much for your post of Ayn Rand's writing. I agree it fits this post and it fits our present Society.

Also, I agree with you when you said: "I believe it may come down to force and that day may be coming soon....We had true Patriots in this land once who got tired of it and stood up to England and shed their blood in order to be free men and that day may come again except this time the enemy lives in Washington DC.... "

Dark storm clouds are forming with the morning sun. I hate what those dark clouds could bring.

[knkali]

Ballot before bullets every time.

[JohnR]

Re: It's a Free Country

Ballot before bullets every time.

When is the transition point?