Liberty...what is it?

What is this thing we Americans call liberty? What does it truly mean to possess personal liberty? In this nation, founded upon the ideal of liberty, do most of us even really have a firm grasp on what liberty is?

Now these might seem to be strange questions but it is a sad fact that far too many of us do not truly understand liberty.:kewl:

 

Hmmm... I would say liberty is "freedom", from undue government control, oppresion, and the liberty is the allowance of personal rights such as the right to free speech, the right to bear arms :thumb: ... I'm sure there arn't very many interpretations to the actual meaning of liberty.

 

Was it Franklin who said:
'those who sacrifice their freedom for the sake of their safety will lose both"?
Who ever said it had some insight into the particular threat that a guy like Bush poses to our liberty.

 

Well, liberty to me is the freedom (i.e. the ability to do or exist without manner of control exerted on one's self) from unwarranted control, interference, restriction, etc., and the power of one's self to act according to one's own choices.

When one says that this nation was founded on liberty, that to me means the foundation of this country was based on not allowing the British Parliament to rule over the American colonies, and giving those colonies the freedom to govern themselves. Personal liberties are those choices one makes that are arbitrarily what determines their success or failure in life.

To me, also, it seems that the Founding Fathers did not intend for liberty without boundaries, otherwise they would not have set up a Constitution in 1787 and not created a government at all. The Constitution allows for many things to be made limited, such as the expressed powers of the branches of the government. To this end, their "liberties" are restricted. In my opinion, liberty was never meant to be completely unchecked, but rather unlimited until the point where it becomes harmful to a person or group of people.

One such example, quoted often by university professors, is in free speech. Speech is free as set forth in the first amendment, but it is not unchecked. A person cannot, without facing the consequences for his or her actions, shout "fire" in a crowded place if no fire is occurring. It poses a threat to the general public.

~AJ

 

By george, I think you've got it AJ. Sure can't falt you on this part of it anyway. I guess it's not so much in having a freedom but how a person applies it.:kewl:

 

Grand Illusion

Are we truely Free? Can anyone not be confined/jailed at anytime for no reason? Can not the goverment sieze you land claiming emminate domain to build a super mall?
We have a freedom of limited choices. Go along with society, play the game, pay your taxes and bills, but don't make "too many waves". Cause too much attention and you might disappear. Expose corruption at too high a level without protect and see how long you stay free.
As for as the rest of the world goes, I'm proud and blessed to have been born an Americian. But am I free to walk our country with no ID, no money, and not go to jail for vagrancy, hum.

 

Well at the moment you can do this in the UK 'am I free to walk our country with no ID, no money, and not go to jail for vagrancy, hum' Not sure for how much longer though.

De Orc

 

I guess I was mistaken, for I thought that such people as Danr and a couple of others would post their thoughts in this thread. Maybe in that manner we could figure out just what is bothering them and causing all their confusion on most topics they attempt to give their reasoning.

Or maybe it is because they just don't know what their personal freedoms are and how they are to be used and with what responsibilities. Now I know that would be a hard on for a few of our posters.

So don't be shy, tell us what you believe and think you either have lost or don't want to loose. We are all listening.:secret:

 

there you go Dan

 

Can you name just one "liberty" you have had to give up because of President Bush?

 

You gotta be kidding.

 

Cat got your tongue Danr? I guess that was a hard question for you,at that.

 

Elighten us Danr...what liberty did YOU lose due to President Bush? Don't stall by saying "You gotta be kidding?" because we all can recognize a stall.

 

I am glad you asked. You should spend some time looking this site over.

http://www.aclu.tv/
look at the patriot act section

 

O.K. I looked it over and the question remains; name just one "liberty" you have had to give up because of President Bush?:whistle: I'll wait right here for your answer!

 

I am a bit disappointed, I would have bet that you understood the most basic element of liberty, That is that when liberty is diminished for one it is diminished for all.

 

Can I get you to hold that thought Danr, I'm working on a situation that will give you some reason to doubt what you apparently think. Oh and by the way, none of those so called 'libertys' were ever granted. Were you aware of this?

 

I am sure that you would be cool with Jews being forced to wear the yellow stars in the 1930's. As long as you are not inconvienced you could care less.

 

All's fair in love and war.... and unfortunately enough for this generation of people, we are in a perpetual war. Some limits HAVE to be imposed on our personal freedoms. A big one from the news recently: the Patriot Act. I'm personally in favor of it. I'm not doing anything wrong, and am highly unlikely to be 'inconvenienced' by it. As a matter of fact, I have yet to hear about all these so-called tragic stories of people 'inconvenienced' by provisions of the Patriot Act, which is what many would deem the greatest 'restrictor' of 'personal freedoms' of this day and age.