Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Freedom in Progress

It is well over 200 years since our founding fathers paved the pathway to freedom.  America’s journey was and will continue to be long and problematic, yet we are still a free nation, a nation by the people for the people.  And now, in the twenty-first century people are falling off the wagon of freedom and questioning the idea that we are free.  A survey by the First Amendment Center in the US concluded that a majority of the people in America do not know or understand five of the most common freedoms we enjoy.  I am sure Madison and Jefferson would roll over in their grave and cry if they were to hear this horrific information.  I fear our freedoms can and will be taken if we do not know the information.
I plan on discussing, briefly, the study conducted by the First Amendment Center in the US, and after I want to dive into the five freedoms mentioned.  After discussing our freedoms, I will close with a call for action; I want to challenge you to educate and arm yourself with the information, so we can continue living the freedoms we enjoy.
Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”  I understand this to be true.  The nationwide survey by the First Amendment Center in the US questions adults on attitudes and opinions about free expression, free press and religious liberty. The end results for their study are:
·         54 percent would continue IRS regulations that bar religious leaders from openly endorsing political candidates from the pulpit without endangering the tax-exempt status of their organizations.
·         66 percent say the government should be able to require television broadcasters to offer an equal allotment of time to conservative and liberal broadcasters; 62% would apply that same requirement to newspapers, which never have had content regulated by the government.
·         38 percent would permit government to require broadcasters to report a specified amount of “positive news” in return for licenses to operate.
·         31 percent would not permit musicians to sing songs with lyrics that others might find offensive.
·         68 percent favor government restrictions on campaign contributions by private companies, and 55 percent favor such limits on amounts individuals can contribute to someone else’s campaign.
Now stop reading for a minute and contemplate the previous bullet points.  I want you to ask yourself if you can or currently agree with any one of the mentioned findings.  If you found yourself agreeing with anyone of the previous bullet points, you need to go back and read the constitution and rediscover what it means to be free.  Freedom is not the ability to regulate others; as Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote (to signify or suggest) freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.”  In case you are overburdened with homework and other areas of life to recall and understand the basic freedoms, I will be covering them next. 
Freedom of speech, freedom of the Press, freedom to petition, freedom of religion and the freedom to assemble peacefully are the five basic freedoms given to all people willing to declare the United States of America their home.  Moreover, it seems the basic freedoms are losing their true meaning.
Freedom of Speech is the underlying key to our great country.  If we were only allowed one freedom it should be the freedom of speech, as to plea and speak of our need to have the other freedoms.  In short, freedom of speech is the reason democracy and our nation can function.  Please re-read the above mentioned bullet points and ask yourself, “Do any of these findings break or attempt to break our right to speak freely?”  In censoring others, are we not opening the door to complete censorship?
Freedom of press is the right to obtain and publish opinions and information without government censorship or fear of punishment.  It is the freedom to create and distribute a source of information to any and all that are willing to read and accept the information.  It is my freedom to write this paper and tell you that your opinions and ideas are wrong (regardless of my ignorant claim).  In the previous study and bullet print, listed above, it stated 66 percent of those interviewed want government restrictions on news casters to require an equal allotment of time for both conservative and liberal news.  Does this sound like freedom?
Freedom of petition is a personal freedom that developed after the stamp act in 1765.  The stamp act imposed a tax on any document used, even down to trading cards.  The colonist felt this tax was absurd and proceeded to petition the king for a redress in this matter.  However, the colonists would not succeed and the “no taxation without representation” was born.  The freedom to petition a redress of grievances was considered our basic right, but the right was not met by the King of England; moreover, it was very much ignored.  So it’s easy to see why our founding fathers made this a basic freedom.  It is our right to change the way we are governed.
Freedom of religion is quite interesting.  There is much to this freedom that is hidden without further research and questioning, as I found out.  Our freedom to attend church is the tip of the iceberg.  The freedom simply stated is, “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his/her choice, and freedom either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his/her religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.”  The freedom allows us to enjoy the teachings of any person, group or culture.
Last but certainly not least is our freedom to assemble peacefully.  This freedom is sometimes considered a lesser of the basic freedoms, yet are we able to practice the freedoms listed above without it? Felix Adler wrote, “Admitting the force of these contentions, nevertheless, the custom of meeting together in public assembly for the consideration of the most serious, the most exalted topics of human interest is too vitally precious to be lost.”  I understand this to be true.
Much greater men than I wrote as to why we deserve the basic freedoms presenting in the constitution. I feel justified in allowing these men to speak:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…” These words are from the Declaration of Independence (as I am sure you already knew).
We practice these basic freedoms daily, and I am sure most of you are grateful to be covered under the constitution.  Unfortunately, a percentage of Americans feel justified in taking these freedoms from others. I feel it’s our duty to know and understand our freedoms in every aspect, so we are able to fight those that are willing to take them from us.  I urge you to know and understand these freedoms and continuously direct the path of the misguided back to the roots of our great constitution.  Teach and preach the freedoms we enjoy.  “Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”  ~Dwight D. Eisenhower 

Monday, August 9, 2010

Money is tight.... Lets go to Spain!

First off, I am sorry for my lack of blogging (for those two people who care).  I am enjoying my freedom before hitting the books in the fall.  I am loving the time I have and I get very worked up when I blog, so I figured I would let my blood pressure come down before I start again.


So I really enjoyed hearing about Michelle Obama taking her 9,742 friends, body guards and children to Spain, for a get-away.  I can see she is too stressed, and needs a quick vacation with everyone from Chicago.  Where does she get off thinking she can spend 700 thousand dollars on her and her friends.  WE ARE IN A RECESSION DAMMIT.  The jobs your husband created are all milking from the same cow.  But I guess they are paying 60 percent of it back with their taxes...

By now you are aware I am fond of sarcasm, it proves my point quite well.  The Obama family and his administration are getting away with a lot.  By the way, what ever happened to the Obama Bribery thing?  Did it get pushed under the rug with everything else?  I have been away for too long.  I need to keep my two readers informed and pissed off.  Well until next time, keep flipping of the Obama sticker cars.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Sorry

I am sorry for my lack of blogging the past couple weeks.  My school has a schedule that ends the 24th of July, and I am loaded with final homework and tests.  My post will resume after this time!  Mean while here is a excellent blog to read:  Stu blog

Monday, June 28, 2010

Gun Rights

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of gun rights and their protection against state and federal laws.  It is really nice to see the government on our side in this matter.  I am an avid gun owner and user; I would not let my firearms go with out a fight.  I know many others in this nation feel the same as I do.


America & Guns:
What are some statistics that support gun rights?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

General McChrystal

General McChrystal recently said some problematic things toward Obama and his administration.  McChrystal said some very interesting things, and this was my favorite.  The article begins with an anecdote about General McChrystal’s complaining to an aide about having to attend a dinner with NATO Allies in Paris in April.
“The dinner comes with the position, sir,” says his chief of staff, Col. Charlie Flynn.
McChrystal turns sharply in his chair. “Hey, Charlie,” he asks, “does this come with the position?” McChrystal gives him the middle finger. … “I’d rather have my ass kicked by a roomful of people than go out to this dinner,” McChrystal says. He pauses a beat. “Unfortunately,” he adds, “no one in this room could do it.”


Why are they surprised at the Generals words?  He has been in the military for a long time and this is the natural dialog of rough necks.  I find it very refreshing to hear someone willing to say what he means rather than something fed to him.


Obama is very frustrated with the General's remarks and is going to instigate some discipline.  However, knowing Obama likes to apologize or blame Bush when presented problematic situations, I am sure he will resort to one of the two.

Friday, June 18, 2010

A college life

I want to apologize for the lack of blogging this week.  My studies tend to take priority over the blogging world, which is sad because I prefer to blog over homework.  This week will be few in the post department but I wanted to inform a few on ACORN.

Why does ACORN have as much power and influence in the media as it does?   Well, it is the organization of communities, and is increasing popularity in urban communities.  Moreover, the group isn't much more than random people joining a network and screaming.  Obama makes this organization seem as though they were a part of the government.  Moreover, Obama is taking a big portion of his agenda from ACORN.




Our liberal competitors are quite sneaky; liberals work very hard on activating communities, promoting them to power, and all the while trying to suppress our "Tea Parties".  I find it fascinating that liberals and conservatives can be utilizing a similar strategy, yet ACORN seems to be associated with power.  Meanwhile, ACORN is heavy involved with prostitution and sex scandals and tea parties are promoting liberty and freedom.  Who SHOULD have the power?

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Where is the Trust

I know most of you have heard of the Alvin Greene scandal in South Carolina, but for those of you unaware.  Greene won the democratic seat in the South Carolina Democratic Party nomination for the US Senate seat.  While this may seem to be irrelevant, Greene has been unemployed for a year, he lives with his parents, and collects a government check.  Yet he managed to pay the 10 thousand dollar filing fee.

Now I am not sure of the validity of Greene's win nor do I have proof of anything on this matter so I will leave it alone; moreover, the main reason I bring this up, is where is the trust in America.  Our government is so corrupt we just assume everything a-typical is a scandal--granted it probably is.  Furthermore, why the hell is the filing fee 10 THOUSAND USD?  Doesn't this leave little room for the average America loving candidate?

Every aspect of our government screams for more personal rights. Each year we are forced to pay more money for more government spending.  It needs to end somewhere. We are taxed on every angle and here is a short list of the taxes we pay.


Accounts Receivable Tax 
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
 Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School   Tax
State   Income Tax
State  Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge
 Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax 

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