With a small breeze, a whirlwind was unleashed. A single drop of water precipitated a flood. In two days, one question prompted 78 responses – well over 1/10th of the views. What was the question? “If drugs are legalized in the FSP, will other laws restricting their use be enacted?†No, that wasn’t the real question, but I will return to that in a moment. As the debate continued, I found those who agreed with almost all of what I said; I found those who agreed with some of what I said; I found those who agreed with almost none of what I said. Do I agree with everything I said?
Kater, I hope will not think ill of me. You asked me what it is about the Free State Project that I find attractive. I purposely avoided your question and I apologize. The reason I avoided your question is because I do not agree with everything I said. In some cases, I believe exactly the opposite. Please, forgive me. I hope as I continue this post, your question will be answered.
Reaper, I owe you an apology as well. You’re so passionate. A little harsh sometimes, but that will be great when the rest of us need a swift kick in the pants on occasion.
Zack, I certainly hope sex isn’t nasty… I have four kids. As for shooting the breeze over likes and dislikes, I had an agenda.
ATR, you were the hardest to respond to. You based your answers on what I was truly asking. So what was my question?
WHAT IS LIBERTY?
Nobody noticed, or at least nobody commented on, the contradiction in my very first post. After the question of the drug laws which eventually turned into orgies and firing machine guns in the street, I basically stated that if I don’t like something, I go somewhere else. To quote myself from my first post,
If … I want my children to pray in school, I take them to the New Hampshire Christian Academy. If I don't agree with prayer in school, I take them to the Darwinian School of Maths and Sciences in which case it's a moot point, correct?
According to Webster (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, copyright 1993), Liberty is “The quality or state of being free; the power to do as one pleases; freedom from physical restraint; freedom from arbitrary or despotic control; the positive enjoyment of various social, political or economic rights and priviledges; THE POWER OF CHOICEâ€. So what is “the quality or state of being free?†Webster (same source) defines free as “Not subject to the control or domination of another; CHOOSING OR CAPABLE OF CHOOSING FOR ITSELF; Determined by the choice of the actor or performer; Not bound, confined or detained by forceâ€. Freedom according to Webster (again, same source) is “The absence of necessity, COERCION or constraint in choice or action; Liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another; The quality or state of being exempt or released usu. from something onerousâ€.
Several here consider Webster to be right on target with these definitions. Some don’t. As America has changed over the past two centuries, so has the definition of liberty it seems. Let’s look at more of what Webster has to say about Liberty. Liberty is “A right or immunity enjoyed
by prescription or grant <privilege>; An action going beyond normal limits as: …
A violation of rules or a deviation from standard practice.†This almost sounds like Webster contradicted himself. On one hand, he states liberty is the power to do as one pleases while on the other, he states that liberty is breaking the rules.
So what is liberty? The authors of the Declaration of Independence held that our inalienable rights life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Life before liberty, for without life, we have no liberty. Without liberty to make our own decisions, we cannot pursue that which makes us happy. Why stop there? Why not wealth and prosperity? Many believe that wealth and prosperity will make them happy, but we
do not have the right to happiness. Without liberty, though, we cannot even pursue it. Reading through the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence, we can see that they include protecting life, protecting property, protecting the right to make a choice, and protecting ourselves from a government of tyranny. To me, that does not sound like liberty can be defined as breaking the rules. <A “modern day†Declaration of Independence can be found at
http://www.freewebz.com/jeffhead/liberty/index.htm. Close to the top is a link “The Modern American Declaration of Independenceâ€.>
I apologize for being misleading. If the moderators see this as trolling or a reason to warn me or ban me from the site, so be it. I only wish more people had responded. My true reason for the question was to find out what the FSP really believed in. Kater, ATR, Reaper, Zack, forgive me if you can, but thank you for standing up. You are the type of people this project will need to succeed.
What do I believe in Kater? I believe in Freedom. I believe in the Liberty our forefathers believed in which earned them the brand of Traitors. I believe in Choice. I believe in a government by the people and for the people but which does not rule the people. Will I fight for what I believe? “Give me liberty or give me death.†Where do I sign.