FREEDOM

 

Freedom. What is it? It is many different things to many people. Whenever I hear the word I harken back to the lyrics of the song "Me and Bobby McGee". "Freedom IS just another word for nothing left to lose". This is the simplest and yet the deepest meaning that I can recall for such a complicated emotion. It is the final act to prevent slavery, repression, oppression, suppression, censorship, corruption, coercion, entrapment. When you have reached that point death becomes secondary. The concept of freedom of self, others, country, humankind becomes paramount in your mind. There is nothing else more sacred than freedom. The recognition of this is intertwined with the fact that freedom will never be achieved without a spiritual oneness with your concept of God. You cannot be free of body without being free of spirit. This nation was founded upon the principles of both.  We and the Founding Fathers merged the concept together to become the most powerful and yet compassionately peaceful nation an earth. Granted we were born out of war but that was a war to prevent the extinction of human spirit. It was fought to rid the world of the shackles of oppression. It was fought as a recognition that the spirit of a single human being was more important than the dictates and whims of all the governments combined. We were founded as a melting pot of ethnicities, religions, social strata, ideologies, philosophies, economic advantage, creativity, and political beliefs. We were founded on the backs of hard work, dedication to cause, belief in the concept of right and wrong and good versus evil. The parallels between the Ten Commandments and our own Bill of Rights are unmistakable. If you live by the Ten Commandments then you have no need for a Bill of Rights or Magna Carta. They are interchangeable. Our Founding Fathers recognized this, believed in this and wrote it into the foundation of our nation. They also recognized that there will be people who do not believe in those precepts and that is their right to do so. The Fathers recognized this also. They wrote into our foundation that very fact. There will be no suppression of thought, idea, word. Government shall be safeguarded against taking the right of dissent away from the people. This includes guns. This includes flag burning as distasteful as most find it. This also includes control of the media, newspapers, radio, schools, churches. They must be allowed to say what they think. Expression of opinion no matter how distasteful must never be stifled. 

We are a nation of rebels born out of rebellion. Not only of body but also of spirit and soul. We were brought together over 235 years ago to support this fact. We came from all over the world as a refuge from oppression of all forms. We came here for many diverse reasons. Not all of them sacred. There were those who were forced here against their will to be enslaved without hope of freedom. There are also those who were already here whose land, culture, way of life and freedom were taken away. This was not for the greater good. There is no apology, sentiment or act that will ever make up for those atrocities. One can only hope that we learned from them. But to my sadness and despair we have not. This nation seems to switch from one group of people to he next to persecute. Whether it be Native Americans, African Americans, Irish, Asian, Polish, French, Japanese, English, Arab, Jewish and now Latino this nation always seems to find a way to shame itself. We just don't seem to learn or remember that we all came from somewhere else. Even the Native Americans came from somewhere else before they got here. Does this give us a license to hate and discriminate? Some seem to think so. Often are the cries of "Go back where you came from". We all would have to do this and this land would be vacated of all human life. 

We have all been subjected to varied forms throughout our ancestry and heritage. Dictatorships, totalitarian, facism, communism, Marxism, Leninism, socialism, capitalism,democratic republic, family council, Kings and Queens, rule by simple majority, tribal councils etc. This is all in our history and our heritage. We all know the strengths and pitfalls of each form of government. What seems to be missing are the lessons learned from these studies. We have forgotten that socalism never has and will never work as a long term form of government. At some point the support group is outnumbered by the group being support and the system collapses. Free market capitalism without some common sense regulations will not work because of the nature of human greed and the ease of which the system can be manipulated if left unchecked. Our Founding Fathers thought of this when this nation was formed as a democratic republic. A system of checks and balances was put into place to offset the possibility of system manipulation. But this to has been circumvented/ Not by lack of regulation but by too much regulation and regulation passed to protect a certain class of people. Those with power. Regulations have also been formulated to impede to entrance of political theories into the existing political structure thus limiting ourselves and our form of government. We have developed into a political system of minority rule rather than embracing other points of view and giving a wider range of choices and ideas in our political process. This is a perverse form of censorship that the Founding Fathers forewarned us about. They decried the two party system and decreed it as manipulative, corrupt, coercive and archiac. We are seeing the effects of these warnings now. 

I have been reminded that some people view freedom as the opportunity to choose. This brings up some interesting problems. Choose what? How is the choice made? Is it strictly for the individual to choose what they perceive is in their best interest or does this fall on to society at large or to some sort of governmental representation that is supposed to know what is best for the whole? And to what issues are we to choose or is this all encompassing. Are we allowed to kill because we choose to? If we choose to steal food because we are starving is this choice right? Do morals and ethics enter into the picture? If so who's morals and who's ethics? Do we rely on Rousseau's theory of the Social Contract where one is not supposed to take from another more than they can give. This is to include individuals, society's and governments. Who or what is to determine the parameters? Again it seems we return to a simple yet far reaching concept. The Ten Commandments intertwined with the Golden Rule. Religions adhere to one or another and some a combination of both. Even atheistic beliefs adhere to the Golden Rule. So simple and yet so far reaching. But even with these tenets carved in stone questions arise on different circumstances and the effects of those decisions. "Thou shalt not Kill". Does this abolish wars and aggressions? Strict adherence to this Commandment would seem to dictate that all forms of killing are outlawed. But what of self defensive? What of combating an aggressor whose purpose is to eliminate you and your kind? Is abortion ever correct? What of cases of rape and incestual sexual abuse? If all forms of abortion are to be deemed illegal who and how will take care of the children that are brought into the world. Will the state? And if so who will pay for that? The state is now asking more from the individual than the individual can give. This is a violation of Rousseau's Social Contract. The opposite is true. Abortion that goes unchecked is also a violation of the same contract because individuals are taking more from the group than they are capable of giving. This is the possible roots of an economic system that is rooted in socialism which we all know is a failed economic system. It is also an expansion of the welfare state which is crippling this nation economically, politically, morally and spiritually. 

The purpose of laws is to act as a guideline for the betterment of that particular society as a whole. In small populated societies a simple majority rule is adequate to satisfy that production and constructive growth of that society. For larger populations such as that in the United States a majority rule venue is not effective, too cumbersome and fraught with pitfalls. The system of a representative democracy as envisioned by our Founding Fathers is the only system of government that will be effective, growth oriented, productive and as fair as possible as long as it is tempered with common sense. The recognition that this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles is essential to not only the growth of this nation in all forms but also its existence. 

Laws are meant to protect and to bring us together to make the whole stronger than the parts. They are not supposed to divide us as a nation. And yet this is exactly what is and has been happening for decades if not since the conflict between states and federal rights began. Who is supposed to be in charge of what. Where does the Federal Governments' reach end and the States take over and vice versa? And what of the rights of the individual? How are these rights to be intertwined in order to form and maintain a society that satisfies the majority in a concise, constructive, productive way? 

In this country we have three branches of government that are supposed to act as a system of checks and balances. Lately this seems not to be happening. We have a Legislative branch (Congress) the fights amongst themselves to the point that no cooperation is given to the other side and none is expected by the American people. Couple this with the fact that whatever party is in control of the Executive branch no cooperation is seen between the Executive and Legislative branches. Even if the same party has a majority in the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives nothing gets done because the rules have been diluted to such an extent that a super majority is needed to accomplish anything. This not what was intended by the Founding Fathers. This nation was founded on cooperation and compromise, an art that has been lost in todays political arena. In fact in compromise is attempted by either side that person is immediately shut down, shunned and privileges taken away as a punishment. This is being done by the extremes of both parties as they have been able to brainwash enough of the American people in believing that they are correct in their assessment that they have slowly garnered enough power to direct the course of their particular party's to the detriment of we the people and the nation as a whole. This is why there are so many strict laws for the entrance of another party or individual into the plitical arena. The two major parties don't want them around. They fear that they will lose all their power and financial benefits if they allow more representation into the political system. Belive me it's all about money and power. It's that simple. This is why the major parties make a big deal about minor and major issues. They want to keep the American people divided. They fear a coalition of the voters that will demand true representation. They will do anything to maintain the status quo. The very essence if divide and conquer. We are weak when divided and they will do anything to keep it that way. 

The media has been as guilty as the parties to see that the status quo is maintained by the political parties. When was the last time you heard a report about an opposing view or a new theory in politics that wasn't meant with immediate skepticism and sarcasm? Few and far between. The media has been divided effectively between left and right. Very little centrist views. The effect of this is to keep the American people polarized at opposite ends of the spectrum so that coalitions are not formed, movements are shutdown and power and control are maintained. Also make no mistake the goal of the media is not to inform anymore it is to entertain. Entertainment means ratings and ratings mean money and money means high salaries for those that are reading the stories. They hire personalities and not investigative reporters. Too many times the so-called investigative reporters are caught fabricating their stories so that their credibility is shot. Couple this is the fact that so called editing departments do not or don't have the time to fact check for fear that another news organization will beat them to the same false story. The result of that the news organizations have become a joke and have the credibility of Mad Magazine. Sad is the day when most people get their new from Comedy Central. Even John Stewart and Steven Colbert will tell you that they are in the entertainment business and do not rely on them for investigative reporting. The cause of this phenomenon is staring at us in the mirror. We have done this to ourselves. We have settled. To correct this demand better. It is simple. Stop watching unless you recognize what the intent is. Make the networks change. We are better that this but we have let the media think that they are in control and that they can dumb us down. This is insulting and we deserve better from ourselves.

One of the hardest things for me to do is to sit idly by and watch my country being destroyed from within. Whether it be by factions from the extreme right through false patriotism and thinly veiled power grabs or from the extreme left through manipulation of human behavior and spirit make no mistake we, as a nation are being destroyed. I am angered by the fact that it has taken us so long to recognize this fact. We, as a people, have allowed ourselves to become sheep to be led to slaughter. We have stood idly by while our rights, wishes, dreams and ideals have been raped. There has been a wholesale attack upon the rights of the people and we have stood by and let it happen. 

This is nor our heritage. This is not the reason thousands have shed their blood so that we may enjoy what is left of our freedom. This nation was formed to relieve us of the many persecutions millions of people were enduring. Now there are certain powerful factions that wish to see us revert back to a role of indentured servants. Other factions would like to cast us in the role of slave. But not a slave to a particular person, rather a slave to a government, a system and an unjust political, economic and sociological structure. what is being developed in the country is a perverted form of India's caste system and we are becoming the "Untouchables". History serves that Ghandi recognized the inequality and inequity of such a system and toppled the government Through non-violence. The USSR, once a mighty and powerful nation was destroyed by a simple economic systen that never has and never will function efficiently or effectively in the long run. That of Socialism. The Middle East Arab countries are presently going through a major upheaval because their people have recognized their individual political and economic structures are a failure. Dictatorship in all forms is a self destructive system of rule.

This nation, nay OUR nation, was conceived of and formed as a representative republic. We as a people are too large in numbers to function effectively and efficiently as a democracy. And yet this is what our schools teach. WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY. There are too pitfalls and possibilities for dictatorial control for this nation to be a democracy. Our founding fathers envisioned this very fact when this nation was born. This is why Washington, Jefferson, Adams etal warned us against the two party system.

What we are seeing now if the fruition of their foresight. The system is archaic, broken and collapsing. It does not function any more. It does not represent the people anymore. One side is bought and paid for by the large corporations. The other side by Wall Street and the bankers. The media is controlled to a large extent by both. We are being boxed in to be manipulated into believing that it is for our own good. We have been given more than any nation that has ever existed in world history. Yet we are squandering it all away. We are letting our governments on all levels turn our nation into a "Nanny State". This is the grossest form of socialism ever conceived. Thousands to millions of us are living on what the government gives us while the rest of us live under the thumb of the very same government to support the rest. This is a huge ponzi and pyramid scheme that is doomed to failure.This is another reason why the distance between the haves and the have nots is getting larger. The haves are trying to protect themselves from what they see in eventual and imminent collapse. This is why they fight so vehemently against any form of regulation.

The extreme Christian right dictates that we have to believe a certain way or else we will be damned while the extreme left demands that we have absolutely no references to religion in public places all in the sense of fairness. This nation was founded on Judoe-Christian principles and we are supposed to have froodom of religion as guaranteed in our Constitution.

In our judicial system we are guaranteed certain rights against illegal search and seizure, unlawful imprisonment and the right to be represented by legal council in all matters. And yet Congress and the President have passed a law negating those Constitutional rights.

When and where will it end. We already have protests in the streets IE the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street and Immigration reform groups all with good intentions. Nut we also have demonstrations to wrong the rights awe as a  people are trying to take back IE the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street and Immigration reform groups. So be aware that what is started with admirable intentions can quickly be turned around by the existing power structure. It is up to us to remain vigilant in our struggle and not be swayed by power, money or any other inducements that are thrown in our direction. We must not be distracted by minor issues that are contrived by the political parties and the government. We must learn to question what the media tries to spoon feed us. In essence we must become Americans once more. Strong willed, goal oriented, God loving and understanding to become what we once were "We the People".