Anyone who mindlessly believes that we are still “free” is an idiot. Hate me if you want,but you know it’s the truth.
I don’t think you will get much flak for that now. A very few years ago, on the other hand, I dared to say on FR that this is no longer a free country and was roundly denounced by several posters. Things have indeed changed lately and as you say, only an idiot still thinks we are free.
I also said once that there are no degrees of freedom, only degrees of repression and was denounced by those who don’t understand language. Think about it this way, if you are using free in terms of cost it means no charge. Even if I sell you a fifty thousand dollar new car for one penny it is not free, the price is one penny. You can say that for all practical purposes that amounts to being free but technically it is not free so there are no degrees of free merchandise, only degrees of pricing. The same with political and economic freedom, if the government intrudes on your life in even the slightest unnecessary way you are not truly free. Free is a superlative, you can be more nearly free as you can be more nearly perfect but you cannot be more free or more perfect. Why the founders used the phrase “in order to form a more perfect union” I don’t know but it is incorrect.