Sunday, January 28, 2007
What Does Freedom Really Mean
Current mood: sleepy
Category: News and Politics
What does Freedom Really Mean?
"…man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts."
Ronald Reagan
We've all heard the words democracy and freedom used countless times, especially in the context of our invasion of Iraq. They are used interchangeably in modern political discourse, yet their true meanings are very different.
George Orwell wrote about "meaningless words" that are endlessly repeated in the political arena*. Words like "freedom," "democracy," and "justice," Orwell explained, have been abused so long that their original meanings have been eviscerated. In Orwell's view, political words were "Often used in a consciously dishonest way." Without precise meanings behind words, politicians and elites can obscure reality and condition people to reflexively associate certain words with positive or negative perceptions. In other words, unpleasant facts can be hidden behind purposely meaningless language. As a result, Americans have been conditioned to accept the word "democracy" as a synonym for freedom, and thus to believe that democracy is unquestionably good.
The problem is that democracy is not freedom. Democracy is simply majoritarianism, which is inherently incompatible with real freedom. Our founding fathers clearly understood this, as evidenced not only by our republican constitutional system, but also by their writings in the Federalist Papers and elsewhere. James Madison cautioned that under a democratic government, "There is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual." John Adams argued that democracies merely grant revocable rights to citizens depending on the whims of the masses, while a republic exists to secure and protect pre-existing rights. Yet how many Americans know that the word "democracy" is found neither in the Constitution nor the Declaration of Independence, our very founding documents?
A truly democratic election in Iraq, without U.S. interference and U.S. puppet candidates, almost certainly would result in the creation of a Shiite theocracy. Shiite majority rule in Iraq might well mean the complete political, economic, and social subjugation of the minority Kurd and Sunni Arab populations. Such an outcome would be democratic, but would it be free? Would the Kurds and Sunnis consider themselves free? The administration talks about democracy in Iraq, but is it prepared to accept a democratically-elected Iraqi government no matter what its attitude toward the U.S. occupation? Hardly. For all our talk about freedom and democracy, the truth is we have no idea whether Iraqis will be free in the future. They're certainly not free while a foreign army occupies their country. The real test is not whether Iraq adopts a democratic, pro-western government, but rather whether ordinary Iraqis can lead their personal, religious, social, and business lives without interference from government.
Simply put, freedom is the absence of government coercion. Our Founding Fathers understood this, and created the least coercive government in the history of the world. The Constitution established a very limited, decentralized government to provide national defense and little else. States, not the federal government, were charged with protecting individuals against criminal force and fraud. For the first time, a government was created solely to protect the rights, liberties, and property of its citizens. Any government coercion beyond that necessary to secure those rights was forbidden, both through the Bill of Rights and the doctrine of strictly enumerated powers. This reflected the founders' belief that democratic government could be as tyrannical as any King.
Few Americans understand that all government action is inherently coercive. If nothing else, government action requires taxes. If taxes were freely paid, they wouldn't be called taxes, they'd be called donations. If we intend to use the word freedom in an honest way, we should have the simple integrity to give it real meaning: Freedom is living without government coercion. So when a politician talks about freedom for this group or that, ask yourself whether he is advocating more government action or less.
The political left equates freedom with liberation from material wants, always via a large and benevolent government that exists to create equality on earth. To modern liberals, men are free only when the laws of economics and scarcity are suspended, the landlord is rebuffed, the doctor presents no bill, and groceries are given away. But philosopher Ayn Rand (and many others before her) demolished this argument by explaining how such "freedom" for some is possible only when government takes freedoms away from others. In other words, government claims on the lives and property of those who are expected to provide housing, medical care, food, etc. for others are coercive-- and thus incompatible with freedom. "Liberalism," which once stood for civil, political, and economic liberties, has become a synonym for omnipotent coercive government.
The political right equates freedom with national greatness brought about through military strength. Like the left, modern conservatives favor an all-powerful central state-- but for militarism, corporatism, and faith-based welfarism. Unlike the Taft-Goldwater conservatives of yesteryear, today's Republicans are eager to expand government spending, increase the federal police apparatus, and intervene militarily around the world. The last tenuous links between conservatives and support for smaller government have been severed. "Conservatism," which once meant respect for tradition and distrust of active government, has transformed into big-government utopian grandiosity.
Orwell certainly was right about the use of meaningless words in politics. If we hope to remain free, we must cut through the fog and attach concrete meanings to the words politicians use to deceive us. We must reassert that America is a republic, not a democracy, and remind ourselves that the Constitution places limits on government that no majority can overrule. We must resist any use of the word "freedom" to describe state action. We must reject the current meaningless designations of "liberals" and "conservatives," in favor of an accurate term for both: statists.
Every politician on earth claims to support freedom. The problem is so few of them understand the simple meaning of the word.
Currently watching :
V for Vendetta (Widescreen Edition)
Release date: By 01 August, 2006
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Friday, January 26, 2007
The Four Cats
Current mood: hungry
Four men were bragging about how smart their cats were.
The first man was an Engineer, the second man was an Accountant,
the third man was a Chemist,,,,, ,and the fourth man was a Government
Employee. To show off,the Engineer called his cat,"T-square, do your
stuff." T-square pranced over to the desk, took out some paper
and pen and promptly drew a circle, a square and a triangle. Everyone
agreed that was pretty smart. But the Accountant said his cat could
do better. He called his cat and said, "Spreadsheet, do your stuff."
Spreadsheet went out to the kitchen and returned with a dozen
cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies.. .........
Everyone agreed that was good. But the Chemist said his cat could do
better. He called his cat and said,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,, "Measure, do your
stuff." Measure got up, walked to the fridge, took out a quart of
milk,, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8
ounces without spilling a drop into the glass. Everyone agreed that
was pretty good. Then the three men turned to the
Government Employee and said, "What can your cat do?" The Government
Employee called his cat and said,,,,,"CoffeeBre ak, ,,,do your stuff."
CoffeeBreak jumped to his feet,,,,,,,, ,,,
ate the cookies,,,,, ,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,
drank the milk,,,,,,,, ,
pooped on the paper,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,, ,,,
screwed the other three cats,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,
claimed he injured his back while doing so,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,, filed a
grievance report for unsafe working conditions,, , put in for Workers
Compensation. ............ ..and went home for the rest of the day on
sick leave....... ......
Currently listening :
Holy Roller
By Reverend Horton Heat
Release date: By 20 April, 1999
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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
White man came. Changed everything.
Current mood: tired
Category: Blogging
An old Indian chief sat in his hut on the reservation, smoking a
ceremonial pipe and eyeing two U.S. government officials sent to
interview him. "Chief Two Eagles. You have observed the white man for
90 years. You've seen his material wealth. You've seen his progress.
You've seen his wars." The chief nodded in agreement. The official
continued,"Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the
white man go wrong?"
The chief stared at the government officials for over a minute and then
calmly replied,"When white man found the land, Indians were running it.
No taxes, no debt,plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, lots of fish and deer,
women did all the work,medicine man free, Indian man spent all day
hunting and fishing, all night having sex.
Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."
Currently listening :
The Red Violin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
By Nicholas Bucknall
Release date: By 18 May, 1999
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Preamble
Current mood: aggravated
Category: News and Politics
"We the sensible people of the United States, in
an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guide lines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, and
delusional. We hold these truths to be self evident:
that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON Rights."
ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them,but no one is guaranteeing anything.
ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone--not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel,
express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is
full of idiots, and probably always will be.
ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be
free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your
eye, learn to be more careful. Do not expect the
tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives rich from a lawsuit because of your carelessness.
ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free
food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes. (This one is my pet peeve...get an education and go to work...don't expect everyone else to take care of you!)
ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free
health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.
ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to
physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.
ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the
possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce
away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.
ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job.
All of us sure want you to have a job, and will
gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)
ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to
happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.
ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking
country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (lastly...)
ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to
change our country's history or heritage. This
country was founded on the belief in one true God.
And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no
fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!!!!
If you agree, share this with a friend. No, you
don't have to, and nothing tragic will befall you if
you don't. I just think it's about time common
sense is allowed to flourish. Sensible people of
the United States speak out because if you do not, who will?
Currently reading :
The Romantic Manifesto
By Ayn Rand
Release date: By 01 October, 1971
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Saturday, November 11, 2006
Berfday
Current mood: happy
I just want to say thank you all for the nice messages and comments wishing me a happy birthday and all. That was quite thoughtful. I am probably not gonna do much but relax, enjoy a few adult beverages, and watch a movie or something. But I always take a little time to reflect on the years past and I have alot of good memories thanks to all my friends. You guys are great and you all make me very happy.
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