Quote:
Originally Posted by Warbaby1943 View Post
The meaning of freedom changes every day because we lose so many of them it is sad. I hate to think what it will mean 50 years from now as I remember that past 50 years and how many of our rights and freedoms we have lost over that time. Think of what you are going to lose when we all must have secure IDs. Scary and I shudder to even think of it.

And OZme52 replies "Though we don't tend to agree on much, we do agree on this. As old farts, we've watched our rights eroded away. If we paid attention to our parents, we know it's even worse than we've seen for ourselves."

I am not sure it is possible to say what freedom is. I strongly agree with what TomOfSweden said about freedom and also with Ozme52, DOMLOARD, IDCrewDawg, and WarBaby43. The common element among us all is that freedom, regardless what it is called by each of us, is protected by law, that is by the Constitution of the United States.

Every presidential candidate that I have heard speak about freedom for the last 50 years has always said that we are a nation of laws. What we see as our freedoms eroding away is actually people unwilling to follow the law. A quick example was given by someone here of the 35 MPH speed limit. It is the law that keeps everybody's right to pursue happiness alive, especially if you walk in or near the streets. A 100 MPH speeder is threatening your right to walk in the street.

There are always people unwilling to follow the law. Some may say the law is unfair and choose to disobey it, Civil Disobedience. Some say the law does not mean what it says and restates the law in modern, pragmatic terms and follow that line of action by saying they are following what the law should say. Others say if you want to drive faster than 35 MPH, amend the law to 45MPH but the speed limit is as it is posted. There you have the differences in how the Courts interpret the law that governs our freedoms. There you have the difference between Strict Constructions and Liberal interpretation of the Constitution.