Freedom is a complicated matter. On one hand, it is the basis for a society built upon unity, protection, general welfare and the pursuit of happiness (fulfillment) as the pillars of an independent democratic Republic. On the other hand, freedom can also be perverted into a tool of oppression and destruction. Each of us has the chore of separating the chaff from the wheat, the good from the bad, the destructive from the constructive. Hopefully, what follows may help to sharpen our discernment.
First, some (New World) dictionary definitions of FREEDOM:
“The power or right to act, speak, or think without hindrance or restraint.”
“Implies the absence of hindrance, restraint, confinement, repression – syn. liberty, independence”
“Being free from the usual rules, patterns; or, being exempt from duty, obligations; leading to license –
“freedom that consists in violating the usual, rules, laws, or practices, either by consent or abuse of liberty (such as ‘slander’ which is ‘license of the tongue’ and abuse of freedom of speech) Som
Quotable Quotes:
“May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” Peter Marshall
“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Nelson Mandela
While freedom has more aspects than these definitions and quotes represent, it is my purpose today to describe the dichotomy that currently exists between freedom as opportunity and responsibility, and freedom as one’s own possession to use in any way one pleases no matter its effects, especially as a tool to shield the undermining of the rights and liberties of others.
It comes down to the difference between freedom and license, between rights and liberties as privileges for the few or as equal opportunities for the greatest number of our society. It comes down to how one understands our unique form of democracy and how we choose to enhance or undermine that unique ideal. lt is my opinion that certain sectors of our society have confused the two and are making a mockery of freedom, liberty, and justice by their words and actions leading this nation into an authoritarian regime under which there shall be no free choices, no good options, no liberties and no rights other than those bestowed upon the chosen few selected by that regime.
Let me be clear that I am referring to that sector of society that went to Charlottesville to violently disrupt a peaceful protest opposing honorific statues to Confederate leaders. The attackers consisted of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, KKK members along with other Far Right sympathizers. The “Good people on both sides” remark from Donald Trump only served to place him squarely in that particular camp.
I am speaking as well of a group of politicians (and their supporters) who have, on the state and federal levels, (and more and more in small towns and villages) created and passed laws that restrict voting rights, attack a woman’s right to abortion, and perpetuate lies that undermine the credibility of our government at every level.
I am also referring to the mob that stormed our Capitol building in an attempt to overthrow the newly elected government by making sure VP Mike Pence declared the 2020 electoral votes invalid in certain states, and to hang him if he did not.
I am also now including all those who supported the contingent of truckers in Canada who by their actions disrupted the flow of products and goods between our two countries to protest state-mandated vaccinations to combat COVID19 and its variants.
And, to be sure, I am including the former president and his advisors, cronies and henchmen, along with his supporters, especially at FOX News, for the lies, the incompetence in handling the pandemic, and the overall attitude of having no restraints on any actions they may take, including the actual eating by Trump of public documents!
Let us be as clear as possible once again: Freedom is not the license to do anything you damn well please. That is not only license – which is the abuse of freedom – it is also known as anarchy – under which there is no protection and no guardianship for the well-being of all the members of the nation. Freedom is not the right to shed one’s responsibility for the welfare of other citizens.
Freedom does not include lying to others about an election or about COVID and its effects. Freedom does not include a right to expose someone else to a deadly disease. Anti-maskers and anti vac-ers are abusers of freedom because they deny the right to a fulfilling life for anyone who may be exposed by them to this deadly virus. Government mandates for following certain proven techniques for combating the spread of this deadly virus do not constitute attacks upon our freedom. Those mandates are rather a necessary part of the protection of our freedom to life’s benefits that our government is pledged to protect as its constitutional duty.
As was done to win a World War against the deadly toxin of fascism, this war against a deadly disease requires some sacrifices from people. Such sacrifices often require us to endure inconveniences, as well as uncomfortable measures in order to save or enhance the freedoms we enjoy. Those of us who lived through World War II remember it well –the rationing of food and supplies, the war bonds we bought by not buying other things; the old family car that we kept in spite of its condition, the cut-backs on Christmas presents, the volunteer jobs that took our parents away while relatives or neighbors watched over us, We remember the worry we expended over family members and friends serving in the armed forces, some of whom were MANDATED to serve by a draft imposed by government.
That "greatest generation" answered all those mandates as calls to duty and as obligations to a common cause of preserving democracy and its freedoms for all. The People and governments were serious about fighting to preserve freedom! We knew that we had to pull together to win the fight for the rights and liberties for which we stood. So, we endured, and we maintained our rights and freedoms for our nation, and for all nations who might want to experiment with the democratic approach to governing.
It must be said again: Freedom is NOT the right to say “I don’t want to do this, therefore I have the freedom from being mandated to do so. No, freedom is the taking of responsibility for others’ lives when certain tools are prescribed for quelling deadly diseases and the pandemics they create. Under current circumstances, anyone who refuses to protect the well-being of others threatens the well-being and indeed the freedom of all to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In other words, the anti-maskers and anti-vaccers are opposed to fighting this enemy supposedly to maintain freedom for all, but mainly in favor of their own freedom from government mandates. They believe they have the right to individual freedom even if it threatens the freedom of others. Unfortunately, that is the definition of license and of anarchy, and it comes very close to defining tyranny as well.
The Far0Right are not advocating freedom; they advocate the undermining of freedom as it applies to other human beings. Their form of freedom leads to anarchy and privileged freedoms for the few, not the many. Another example of the anarchy of their kind of freedom introduces the use of a tool or strategy that they have escalated of late. The mob attack on the Capitol and its legislators, staff and police is in their definition their right when it comes to overturning a fraudulent election. Fortunately for us, Trump’s Big Lie upon which they based their right (freedom) to act, has no credibility because their allegations have never been accepted as proof in any court or by any audit of returns, or even by fake audits conducted by Far-Right state legislators and their contractors.
Their attack upon democracy is the epitome of why their freedom is anarchistic and licentious. Revolutionary action is usually the antithesis of freedom because it is often based upon manufactured sets of lies, not on facts, common sense, or critical examination by a non-partisan entity. Again, January 6th was the epitome of anarchy not of freedom, because it was not the considered action of a nation against an oppressor. It was the brainchild of a small group of planners who invited the unwarranted attack to happen through their spokesman, Donald J. Trump. This was an attempt to take away the freedom inherent in the election of leaders by the majority of our eligible voters, a right and freedom that makes ours a government of the People (under majority rule) not a government by faction or minority and certainly not by one man declared an absolute ruler.
Once again, we are witnesses to the undermining of freedom by a faction of the Far Right who claimed to be acting in obedience to their ‘rightful leader’ using their ‘right’ to overturn fraudulent votes. But such mob action to undo an election is again the definition of anarchy and license. It uses the concept of freedom, ill-defined, to abet criminal actions performed by a faction not in the majority. Freedom cannot reign where democracy is placed under attack. What’s more, democracy and freedom for all cannot survive the violence associated with that attack.
A violent attack on our center of government is a mockery of freedom because there are few greater threats to our freedom than an armed attack against its vital center. This was not an expression of freedom at work or of patriotism on display or of active protest. This was a coup d’etat planned to overthrow the legitimately elected government of Biden-Harris. Freedom was dealt a serious blow by the threat to overturn it and to extend the reign of the defeated Trump. We are now in danger of a final coup that will take place if Trump is elected in 2024 because he wants nothing less than absolute power over this nation. Freedom be damned.
We cannot leave this subject without mentioning other examples of freedoms being undermined by the anarchistic Far-Right.
● Voting rights restricted means freedom of all voters has been attacked
● Threats of physical violence against government employees appointed and elected; and against health workers in all capacities for their attempts to fight this pandemic
● The latest revelation of destruction of documents in the White House by Trump himself undermines any freedom we thought we had to monitor and assess our government
● The support of Trump and his legislative puppets for the Truckers in Canada, and the invitations from FOX News to come on down and extend that anarchy to our nation
● The continuing destruction by state legislatures and the Supreme Court of the rights and freedoms gained by racial minorities and by LBGQT persons. Those government entities should be defending and enhancing those rights.
Freedom is not a license to do as we please. Freedom is not just a privilege that is granted by the government to a chosen few. Freedom is not the right to choose who will vote and who will not Freedom is not the license to use revengeful punishment for any form of opposition. Mostly, freedom is not a tool for attacking or undermining the rights and liberties of others. Freedom doesn't give anyone the right to endanger or to threaten the well-being of any other person or persons. Freedom does not include a right to treat one group of citizens differently than others Freedom is not enhanced by the use of violence to secure one's own philosophy or agenda
Freedom is a delicate entity that requires the full attention of all the concerned citizens of this nation, YOUR FREEDOM is AT STAKE HERE and NOW !
Thus we come to the other side of what freedom means. Freedom starts with a recognition and acceptance of the equality of our citizenship and our opportunities under law. Freedom is maintained by watchfulness and critical assessment by voters and other residents Freedom is not a tool to be used to bully others. Freedom’s maintenance and enhancement are dependent on what we say and do as active citizens – we have an obligation not just to free ourselves from unwarranted government overreach but so that others may enjoy the benefits and opportunities presented in a free society.
It is not a false sense of freedom from government that is the key to freedom; it is the responsibility to use our freedoms and liberties and rights to advance our form of governance and the overall freedom to which we all are entitled.
It is important to hear again the words of Nelson Mandela and some lesser-known quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr:
Mandela – “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
King – “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” “ I am not interested in power for power’s sake; but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.” “Freedom is freedom to be something one did not imagine: the source of goodness, rights and justice for others.”
The basic lesson of all this is simple. We are concerned with the practice of freedoms for all not for a chosen few, and certainly not for the power-seeker Trump or his demented followers.\
Freedom involves one in sacrifice for others; in acting for others; in recognizing that freedom is a delicate commodity desired by many but only sustainable if protected and advocated for all.
Confiscating and perverting the concept of Freedom to maintain control of government and society by a minority of white supremacists is nothing short of anarchy of violent insurrection by the Far-Right.
REJECT THE FAR-RIGHT who are seeking power through their misuse of freedom. They are anarchists who want license to control your freedom, your rights, and your money.
YOU ARE THE ANSWER! MAKE YOUR STAND for equal rights, for equal justice, for equal opportunities, for the well-being of all, for the ideals of our constitutional democracy.
BE a NOBLE PRACTIONER of RESPONSIBLE FREEDOM
