On liberty...

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

I think most agree with this today, mainly because I see it used for different purposes in different posts on a weekly basis.  But we are so very quick to give up our liberties in order to be safe from certain things that could harm us. Whether it be terrorists, corporations, or even our own actions, we all let fear rule our ideas by allowing government to limit our privacy, limit our options and limit our own actions.

The Patriot Act allows my own government to spy on its citizens. My government has no right to gather information on me. My government has no right to tap my phones and monitor my bandwidth. If I trade my personal privacy for some short-term safety, I deserve neither one.

My crony capitalist government has no right to limit my choices. It has no right to promote legal monopolies. It has no right to stifle trade. It has no right to try and protect me from my free transactions. If I trade my economic options for short-term safety from predatory corporations I do not deserve options nor safety.

My "nanny state" government has gone too far. My government has no right to decide who I can marry. It has no right to decide if I make too much nor if I make too little. It has no right to decide who deserves the spoils of my hard work nor my families hard work. If I give up the rights to my own actions to momentarily protect me from my own decisions I deserve neither rights nor safety.

The funny thing is that the platforms for both parties uphold liberty in some forms but spit on it in others.

Republicans believe we should be free to make our own decisions and to use our own property in our own way. The conservative screams for the essential freedoms except when it comes to terrorism and marriage.   They will gladly give up essential freedoms for short-term safety in these situations. They deserve neither one.

Democrats believe that we have the right to marry who we want and that we have the right live privately. The liberal screams for our freedoms except when it comes to mean capitalists and economic disparity. They will gladly give up essential freedoms for short-term safety in these situations. They deserve neither one.

These are just a few examples and nothing in great detail.  There are many more examples of this hypocrisy.  I just wonder if we will ever fully realize the damage we are causing by allowing our liberty to be defined with each new election cycle?  Liberty is all or nothing, there is no balance to be found.

Here is my vomit for the week.