Why are we so willing to allow the government to take are rights away?
Over the past year alone the federal government has been very aggressive in trying to limit our freedom. I have written several blogs about these issues. I have talked about the expansion of the “Obstructing a Police Investigation charge”, the new laws outlawing the video taping of police so no one can document their corruption, The Obama administrations attempt to read and confiscate private e-mail, and the regulations on what food we can and can’t eat. There have even been attacks on the toys in Happy Meals.
This administration has taken control over the auto industry and is fighting to mandate what heath care you buy.
We already have red light cameras everywhere and over the last year or so we have seen the rise of speed cameras. If you have ever been to Britain (where you do no have the right to privacy, or any rights for that matter) there are literally cameras everywhere. There, Big Brother is always watching and now he will be watching us a well.
When we go to the airport we get the option of letting them see us naked or having them feel us up. This has got to at least be a unreasonable search... right?
In more recent news there is a push by the feds to mandate blood test if you are suspected of drinking and driving. If the officer has no proof of a crime they say he should be able to force you to submit to a blood test to prove your innocence. Wow…
And now that the “Wikileaks” scandal has gotten all over the media you can rest assured that the feds will be placing heavy regulations on the internet.
The problem is that any one of these issues by themselves is not enough to get people mad. Also there is always a good face put on it weather its to make your life easier or to protect you from something. Big Brother only wants to take care of you! Politicians always use incrementalism when taking freedoms. If your rights are slightly taken away a little at a time there is no outrage.
It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once.
- David Hume (1711-1776)
People often forget that the Boston Tea Party was over a small tax of a good less then our sales tax here in Maryland. Now we pay 30% of our income, an additional 6% sales tax, plus tariff taxes on many goods, gas taxes, property taxes, etc. The point being this did not happen all at once but slowly over time.
The loss of liberty is a very slippery slope and unless we are willing to stand up for our rights we will continue to slide down that slope right into a totalitarian regime. If we do not stand up for ourselves who will? This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.
In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. - Mark Twain
Recently I was talking to a very close friend of mine that I train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Columbia Maryland with. After discussion one of these issues, he started aggressively asking me questions about my thoughts on other issues like death penalty, abortion, etc. (maybe a topic for another blog). The thing is that I don’t know everything nor do I protest to but when I take a step back and look at all of the liberties the government has seized and/or is trying to seize it makes me very sad. Not just for my on freedoms but for the future of this county.
It seems like now days freedom is a foreign concept. I can only pray that they next generation wakes up. I will leave you with one last quote.
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