Please sir, may I have some more (freedom?) Part 1

I cringe everytime I hear some Joe Sixpack or soccer mom say something like "we all have to thank our armed services for defending our freedom."  Putting aside for the moment the fact that bombing or occupying countries that pose no threat to the United States is not defending freedom, but rather carrying out some political/corporate agenda, I contend that we have precious little freedom left to defend.

Americans are no longer free.  We have lost the last vestiges of anything resembling freedom in the 21st century, and lost most of what we did have in the 20th.  For those who would disagree, I ask, "In exactly what areas of our lives are we not taxed, regulated, watched, or otherwise coerced ?  I love this quote from Pierre Joseph Proudhon:

"To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place(d) under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored."

Every single area of our lives is regulated.  Think you are free even to go to the bathroom?  By federal edict we can have no more than 1.6 gallons of water in our toilets.  You are not "free" to do anything.  Even something you supposely own, like your house and the land that is on it, is subject to myriad regulations, taxes and fees.  Just try not paying your property taxes and see if "your" property is really yours.

Some may say we are free to vote, and create clever arguments for how failing to vote leads to our current predicament.  But this is an absurdity when it is quite obvious the same establishment offers you two preselected "choices" from their own ranks, and makes it nearly impossible for anyone not in these two parties to be elected.  Elections, especially federal elections, are nothing more than cynical diversions designed to create the illusion of choice, while ensuring the status quo will not be threatened. 

(Note:  I remember reading in 1999 that our choices in the 2000 election would be George W. Bush and Al Gore.  The article said it was already a foregone conclusion, before even a single vote had been cast).

In the past couple of years many in America have been waking up.  People are realizing that the government is not their servant, but rather seeks ownership and control over everything they do and everything they are.  It reminds me of a story in Jewish folklore about an entity called the 'golem.'   The golem is a creation of man, a statue molded from earth, which comes to life and can speak.  In one version of the story, on the first day it calls its creator "My master;" on the second "My friend;" and on the third, "My servant."

Our creation called government has long since ceased calling us Master.  By the simple act of being born, we are required to be numbered, taxed, conscripted and controlled.  The fruits of our labor are stolen at the threat of imprisonment.  Resistance in any form is met with violence.  We are not free.  And we are dilusional if we think we are.

Next time I will begin to talk about what we should do about it.  Until then, be free within!