Posted on 01/25/2005 4:37:42 PM PST by Cornpone
Dear Freepers,
I'm getting old and perhaps a little wacky but as I look back over my life I continue to try and understand how my country hasn't quite turned out the way my mother and father brought me up to believe it should be and what it was I was always raised to defend. So I've started making a list of those things that just seem to represent a betrayal of what I always thought America is about...freedom. Its a short list, I'm still working on it and I know many, if not most, will not agree with everything on it. But I'm sure everyone has something to add to it...like the state of medical care in this country which I haven't even begun to think about. Anyway, they are simple things that individually don't amount to much. But, taken together they represent a fundamental change in our culture if you think about it. Please help me add to this list. I don't know what I will do with it. Perhaps I'll just go nail it on the doors of Congress..not likely. I'd rather nail it on the doors of the White House except we can't really go there anymore...another freedom lost.
Mandatory motorcycle helmet laws
Mandatory automobile seatbelt laws
Mandatory boating lifejacket laws
Increasing erosion of property rights
Increasing regulation of alcohol consumption, tobacco use and firearms possession
Virtual elimination of the right to self defense
Denial of the right to carry a weapon for self defense
Hate crime laws that ridiculously imply that the murder of one human being is more heinous than the murder of another based on some politically motivated criteria
Encroachment on the constitutional right to assembly
Increasing attempts to limit our constitutional right to free speech through hate speech laws that seek to dampen dissident opinions
Increasing restrictions on demonstrations of personal faith with a bias against Christians
Increasing restrictions on hunting
Increasing restrictions on fishing
Increasing restrictions on the traditional use of fireworks
Increasing restrictions on traditional methods of outdoor cooking
Increasing restrictions on water rights and usage
Increasing government incursion and attempts to regulate the possession of domestic animals which in all cases dont happen to be pets
Unfair taxation to fund social practices abhorrent to most Americans
Government advocacy of socially deviant lifestyles
Government attempts to redefine millennia-old family relationships and bonds, i.e., gay marriage
Affirmative action laws and policies that unjustly punish and deny opportunity to current generations based on the shortcomings of generations long past
Ridiculous product liability judgments that seek to limit access and deny choice through judicial activism rather than legislative debate
Add your thoughts to the list please.
God Bless our Forefathers and God Bless You
That may be, but we're not making this stuff up. The fact is, we lose more freedom every single year. You should take your head out of the clouds.
A few days ago a bunch of Christians protested at a gay rally and they were jailed for no good reason:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42337
In 1910, it was illegal for women to vote.
In 1920, it was illegal for men to buy beer.
In the 1930's, gold was illegal to own ($100 limit).
In the 1940's, our military was racially segregated and the government mandated at gunpoint how many ounces of sugar you could have in your pantry.
In the 1950's, Blacks were being beaten by policemen, hosed by firemen, bitten by sheriffs' dogs, as well as prevented from even *registering* to vote by Jim Crow laws.
In the 1960's, it was *legal* to pay women less than men for the same job.
In the 1970's, it was illegal to drive more than 55 miles per hour.
In the 1980's, it was illegal to use the Internet for profit.
In the 1990's, it was illegal in most states to carry a concealed handgun.
Up until 2004, it was illegal to have a folding stock, flash hider, and 30 round clip in your assault rifle.
Today, none of those restrictions on our freedom apply.
Listen sonny. After you grow up, own property, own a business and have children you will understand that freedom is more than just the freedom to party. It is more than the freedom to be a deviant and ruin your life. It is more than the freedom to be obnoxious.
One of these days you'll understand.
But didn't they stop establishing state religions well before the 14th? Later.
California has banned silver dragees.Its ridiculous for a state to ban cake decorations. Yet, in California its happened.
How about the right to travel without being forced to submit to a search? Strip searches at airports. DWI checkpoints on highways.
Also, at one time we could carry handguns on airlines. Now you can't carry a penknife.
If the permit process interferes with the right of free assembly, yes.
Up until 2004, it was illegal to have a folding stock, flash hider, and 30 round clip in your assault rifle.
Are you actually trying to imply that we have more gun rights now than before? Prior to 1934, there were no gun control laws whatsoever.
The ethnic intimidation charge stems from Pennsylvania's "hate crimes" law to which the newest "victim" category of "sexual orientation" was recently added. The protesters say a Philadelphia police officer told them that because they were on a public sidewalk they were permitted to move freely through the event. A few minutes later, however, they were arrested and removed.
Sounds unjust to me.
Repeal "hate crimes" legislation and repeal legislation making it a crime to offend someone!
Yes but, as I understand it, when the 14th amendment was passed it turned the Constitution on its head. Prohibitions against the federal government became prohibitions against the states, and even the people.
Reading the 14th amendment, I don't understand the logic. I think you have to be a lawyer.
From 1890 to the 1970's, most states forbade the carrying of concealed weapons.
If you are familiar with the "Shootout at the OK Corral," then you'll remember that the town in question banned all guns; disarming those in violation was what led to that shootout.
Today, 46 states permit the carrying of open or concealed weapons...a far cry from the total bans of the past.
Likewise, prior to 1986, you could be arrested for merely passing through a city or county that forbade guns...even if your own guns were stored in the trunk of your car.
Prior to 2003, commercial airline pilots were completely forbidden from packing heat, too.
All of those firearm restrictions are gone now, as are the old restrictions in the Assault Weapons Ban.
So yes, we are substantially more free today than in 1890, 1934, or even 2002.
If the permit process interferes with the right of free assembly, yes.
Do you mean the First Amendment amplified by the Fourteenth? The First Amendment, by itself, only restrains the federal government:
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Many states have written into their constitutions, a bill of rights that were very similar to the US constitution. This is not redundancy. Originally, most of the items in the US bill of rights only restricted the US Congress. If you read it carefully, you will see that the 2nd amendment gives all of us the right to bear arms. But the first amendment prohibits only Congress, not the states, from abridging religion and free speech.
Supposedly that all changed after the 14th amendment.
Yes. But I would rather that the 14th amendment were repealed because it gives way too much power to the federal government. We have state constitutions with their own bill of rights.
Zoning Restrictions
Leash laws
Anti-Smoking Laws
Lowered Speed Limits
Building Codes
HIPPA
ADA
Medicare
Lowered Drinking Age
Unions
Leash laws
I promised myself I'd stop at ten.
I am exhausted and I'm going to hit the sack. I just want to thank you and secretagent for carrying this conversation. Contrary to many, I think it is important. Thank you both and everyone else that has joined in.
I don't think that's true. Even passengers were allowed to carry:
"...Moreover, in light of the recent terrorist attacks and the ensuing debates over whether pilots should be armed, the 1954 incident illustrates a forgotten time when pilots not only routinely carried pistols, but were required to carry them. On that Tuesday, 47 years ago, Bonnell was carrying his, a small, .380-caliber Colt semiautomatic, holstered in his flight bag. " http://www.handguncontrolinc.org/airlines2.htm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.