It is all so confusing. What exactly is 'freedom'? Is it freedom to do something or is it freedom from something? Is one free to harm another or is one free from being harmed by another? The subject of 'freedom' is in our slogans, in our songs, in our literature, on our billboards and virtually anywhere we look. As a nation, we roam the world spreading 'freedom' and will destroy any other nation that attempts to impede our effort. We use the word 'freedom' so much that it is difficult to understand much about the meaning.
In the United States, our freedoms are 'enshrined' in the 'Bill of Rights'. In addition to freedoms for the people, the 'Bill of Rights' limits government powers.
People have been attempting to secure freedom for as long as we have been 'civilized'. In colonial America, The Virginia Declaration of Rights was an early attempt. The American revolution was for 'freedom' from England. 'African Americans (both slaves and free) fought on both sides. Colonialists fought to be free and also to keep their slaves from being free.
Scotland has been seeking freedom from England from the beginning. England itself tried freedom with a Bill of Rights in 1689, which followed an earlier attempt in 1215, The Magna Carta. In France, the storming of the Bastille was part of a revolution for freedom.
These are a few of the more recent attempts at freedom in the western world. The Sumerians recognized the need for freedom 4,000 years ago and instituted reforms to grant freedoms to the people.
Women have been struggling for freedom since forever.
People have been attempting to secure freedom for as long as we have been 'civilized'. In colonial America, The Virginia Declaration of Rights was an early attempt. The American revolution was for 'freedom' from England. 'African Americans (both slaves and free) fought on both sides. Colonialists fought to be free and also to keep their slaves from being free.
Scotland has been seeking freedom from England from the beginning. England itself tried freedom with a Bill of Rights in 1689, which followed an earlier attempt in 1215, The Magna Carta. In France, the storming of the Bastille was part of a revolution for freedom.
These are a few of the more recent attempts at freedom in the western world. The Sumerians recognized the need for freedom 4,000 years ago and instituted reforms to grant freedoms to the people.
Women have been struggling for freedom since forever.
Here in the United States, in spite of the 'Bill of Rights', we haven't gotten it right. The powerful keep the less powerful under their thumb. The wealthy dominate the poor. The laws create criminals un-necessarily among 'lower classes' while legitimatizing unspeakable corruption and evil among the elite.
One example, of the many possible examples, is the arrest of those engaging in the criminal activity of 'dancing' at the Jefferson Memorial. One can watch video of the police body slamming the villains during the arrest process. If it was unknown previously, it is known now, for sure... dancing is not one of your freedoms.
One example, of the many possible examples, is the arrest of those engaging in the criminal activity of 'dancing' at the Jefferson Memorial. One can watch video of the police body slamming the villains during the arrest process. If it was unknown previously, it is known now, for sure... dancing is not one of your freedoms.
Be careful when crossing the street. Don't worry about traffic, look both ways for the police. Scott Miller was rushing across the street when a police officer noticed that he hadn’t used a crosswalk. The officer took Miller to the ground (police seem to love that take 'em to the ground part), handcuffed him and arrested him.
Forget about having 'freedom of speech'... Wesley Force of New Bern, North Carolina, found out last year when he was arrested and taken to jail for saying the word “fuck” in public. A judge sentenced him to 10 days in jail.
A mother was arrested in South Carolina earlier this year for swearing in front of her children at a supermarket.
A mother was arrested in South Carolina earlier this year for swearing in front of her children at a supermarket.
Two young sisters with an "entrepreneurial spirit" set up a lemonade stand in Overton, Texas, to raise money for their dad's Father's day gift, their mom said. But Andria and Zoey Green's business closed abruptly Monday after police came by to tell them their stand was illegal.
School districts in Meridian, Mississippi, incarcerated students for things like “dress code violations, flatulence, profanity and disrespect.”
Don't stand on the street corner. For decades, cops have used arrests for loitering to target homeless people. Arrest for loitering may sound both ridiculous and relatively insignificant, but the time in jail for this “crime” can be significant. In one notorious case in Florida in the ‘80s, a man spent 13 months in jail after an arrest for loitering.
It goes on and on. The examples are virtually everywhere one looks. Freedom is like 'justice', it does not exist. Here's one more example - this child would like to have freedom from stupid police mistakes that threaten his life - 2-Year-Old Hospitalized After Police Raid Wrong Home, Threw Grenade into His Bedroom.
Freedom is one of those philosophical concepts that sounds good but has yet to be achieved, even after eons of people struggling to gain their freedom. Those in charge systematically squash any attempt to do anything other than that which they tell us to do. Simply put, you are free to do what you are told to do - and that's the truth !!!
Good Samaritans Shutdown,
Ticketed for Feeding Homeless During Thanksgiving Holiday
Feeding the homeless is now illegal in Atlanta and you will be ticketed and extorted unless you pay the state for permission beforehand.
from the Daily Sheeple by Matt Agorist Atlanta, GA — According to the official historical record, in 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For over a century, families have gathered to proclaim what they are thankful for while others have taken to shelters and charities to help those who cannot help themselves. However, thanks to the state, helping others during this most giving time is now illegal—unless you pay the government for permission. During this Thanksgiving week, Adele Maclean and Marlon Kautz took to the streets to begin handing out food to the homeless—like they do every week. However, this time, instead of receiving praise for their services, they were issued a notice of extortion by police in the form of a citation. “We’re looking at a citation,” Maclean said. As WSB-TV notes, Atlanta police have been handing out the flyers across the city telling people that a permit is needed to give food to the homeless. The fliers are being used as a warning by the police to stop people from feeding the homeless without first paying the state for permission to do so. “I mean outrageous, right? Of all the things to be punished for, giving free food to people who are hungry?” Maclean told Channel 2’s Justin Wilfon. The pair has been handing out food in the same spot for weeks and they told WSB-TV that they have never heard of needing a permit to feed the needy. “It seems ridiculous to me that they would be spending their time and resources on stopping people from feeding the homeless,” said Maclean said. Indeed, it is ridiculous considering the murders and rapes taking place in Atlanta and the low rate at which they are solved. However, issuing notices of extortion, aka citation, to people for feeding the homeless is far easier and much more profitable than catching a murderer. As WSB-TV reports: Wilfon contacted the city to find out what was going on. A city representative said the Fulton and DeKalb County boards of health both require permits to give food to the homeless and the city of Atlanta enforces those requirements. While the requirements aren’t new, Atlanta police told Wilfon they recently started more strictly enforcing them for several reasons. The city believes there are better ways to help the homeless, like getting them into programs and shelters. They are also taking issue with the litter the food distributions leave behind. Naturally, leaving behind waste for the city to clean up is wrong — but littering is already a crime. Why not just enforce that law? Instead, good people, who don’t litter, are being punished for helping their hungry and less fortunate counterparts. Unfortunately, in the land of the free, feeding the homeless has become a revolutionary act. Cities across the country are cracking down on good people who want to feed the needy. Last December, the Dallas, Texas city council enacted Ordinance No. 29595, which makes it illegal to serve food to the homeless without jumping through a statist myriad of bureaucratic hoops, including a fee, training classes, and written notices. However, the folks over at the aptly named organization Don’t Comply, took to the streets just outside the Austin Street Shelter in Dallas, while well armed, and successfully fed thousands of homeless people. Sadly, the state’s endless desire to generate revenue has led to a system which requires permits for just about every activity not just feeding the homeless. In May, the Alameda County Sheriff’s department posted a photo of a deputy arresting a man for selling fruits and vegetables on the roadside and attempted to justify the arrest. When people read the department’s justification, they lashed out — peacefully — to let them know what they were doing is wrong. |
What they sought was freedom
from the Carolina Journal by John Hood
In what had once been a land of opportunity and progress, the state had grown large and oppressive. Its leaders lost their way. Its people nearly lost their freedom. How oppressive had the state become? No matter how you chose to make your living, government officials made constant demands on you. Every major transaction was taxed, at escalating rates. If you couldn’t pay the taxes, your goods and property were seized. In many cases, you had to have special permission from the state to enter your chosen occupation. How did the government grow to be so oppressive? It didn’t happen overnight. Instead, the encroachments were gradual, each one too small on its own to provoke large-scale opposition. Many of the taxes were originally enacted as “temporary” measures, in response to emergencies, but then lingered on in seeming perpetuity. It was a great deal for the political class — at first. In earlier times, state revenues had been used primarily to fund critical infrastructure and maintain law and order. But as the money poured in, bureaucrats hired other bureaucrats, which boosted their power and stature. Government didn’t just pay them directly. Precisely because government had become so burdensome, corruption was rampant. It was cheaper for merchants to pay off public officials than to comply fully with the taxes and regulations. Over time, however, the abuses of the political class proved counterproductive. To the extent land confiscation moved taxable property into government ownership, the tax base shrank. To the extent government made it harder to start and run businesses, there were fewer businesses generating revenues and employing people — which led to financial problems for the state as well as idleness and discontent among the population. Finally, a new leader emerged. He was honest and ethical. Most importantly, he was observant. He recognized that the expansion of government had discouraged private enterprise and bred public contempt. He resolved to fix the problem. The new leader slashed taxes. He eliminated regulations, and the jobs of regulators who had enforced them. He ended abusive confiscations of land, reserving that power for parcels the state truly needed for infrastructure. He fought public corruption and ensured that rich, powerful interests did not receive special treatment when the state adjudicated legal disputes. The government didn’t wither away. Instead, the new leader refocused its attention on law and order. He codified and simplified the legal code. He increased penalties, particularly for violent offenses. Crime rates dropped, which made existing residents feel more secure about starting new businesses and encouraged new people to immigrate to the area. Care to hazard a guess about the identity of this political reformer and the state he led? No, I’m not talking about an American state, or recent events in a foreign land. The leader’s name was Urukagina. He ruled the Sumerian state of Lagash, which included a capital and several nearby towns, more than 2000 years before the birth of Christ. The site is in what is now southern Iraq. The official chronicle of Urukagina’s reforms contains the first use of the word “freedom” in recorded history. The Sumerian term was “amargi,” literally “a return to the mother.” The idea being conveyed was that human beings were naturally born into a state of freedom, not a state of subservience. Another way of saying that, I guess, is that humans are endowed by their Creator with certain rights that are not lost — alienated from them — just because they live in societies with governments. Urukagina returned his people’s birthright to them, their freedom. It worked for a time. Unfortunately, he didn’t tend sufficiently to a core function of government, national defense, and Lagash fell prey to invaders. But his tale wasn’t forgotten, then or now. In 1960, the founders of the Liberty Fund in Indianapolis chose the cuneiform version of “amargi” as the centerpiece of their logo. When it comes to protecting and expanding freedom, there have been plenty of modern innovations. But there’s nothing new about the underlying concept. It’s ancient, and essential. John Hood is chairman of the John Locke Foundation and appears on the talk show “NC SPIN.” You can follow him @JohnHoodNC.  |
In June, a 38-year-old homeless man was attempting to earn some honest money by providing a much-desired service to the residents of Kennewick, Washington when he was threatened with extortion and arrest by the local police department, which effectively ended his enterprise. After the Kennewick Police Department threatened the homeless man and prevented him from making a living, they took to Facebook to shamelessly brag about it.
The man was told that while it was illegal for him to fix bicycles, he could certainly beg for money.
The man was told that while it was illegal for him to fix bicycles, he could certainly beg for money.
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