The Cost of Freedom

Yes, pondering the big questions has been the noble pursuit of man since time immemorial, and seriously, perhaps the biggest question of all concerns the human condition in man's relationships with his fellow man.

At the risk of sounding like an opinionated know-it-all, I will attempt to humbly set forth what I have been fortunate enough to discover in my experiences for any who might care to continue reading. I do this purely in the spirit of uplifting and sharing, as corny and dated as those sentiments may sound in the fast moving and ever evolving modern techno-plastic times in which we live.

The whole thing is about freedom, really. Freedom and authority, ....and who holds them. Historically, there has always been the the master/slave, or monarch/subject, or leader/follower dichotomy in man's political and social relationships.

Until the inception of the American republic some two and a quarter centuries ago, the concept of people governing themselves was largely nonexistent in the world. This is why the then new nation was literally dubbed, "The Grand Experiment," being truly the first large scale attempt to establish and ensure liberty and freedom by the rule of law and not men.

The essence of the new government was the transfer of the authority from an elite ruler or body to the common everyday people. This radical approach limited government to the functions of regulating and coining money, protecting the national borders, and enforcing the rule of law. All other considerations were left to the people to determine between themselves what best served their interests and well being.

These other considerations included such things as private relationships, guns, drugs, and anything else not mentioned above, ....you name it. When authoritarians would argue that guns and drugs cause needless deaths, ask them how many deaths occur annually on highways (some 50,000 even with licensing, registration, and locks on every car) or how many innocent lives were taken by governments in the last century (conservative estimates are in the 100 million range). This new system was designed to ensure us the total freedom to govern ourselves by higher laws, those upon which the constitution was originally based.

With the new freedoms came stern responsibilities as well. Violate the laws and retribution was a swift and sure thing. Basically the deal was set up like this; you do your thing, whatever it is, without violating anyone else's right to do the same, and everything would be hunky-dory. Violate the laws and they would not.

What are those violations, you ask? Amongst others, they include murder, rape, robbery, and bearing false witness against another. They do NOT include holding and stating unpopular personal opinions, refraining from certain associations, or managing one's own production and resources in any way that seems to him proper, short of encroaching upon or coercing another.

Simple, really. There is only one problem with this system, though, and it is becoming larger and more apparent with every passing day. The problem is that the constitutional system, based upon the rule of law, was entirely predicated upon the abiding morality of the nation as a whole.

In other words, the system can only continue to function when applied in an environment of integrity and honesty. Just as a physical structure must collapse when the foundation is removed from under it, a political system based upon law and the honest adherence to it will as surely crumble when the honesty is removed from it.

Of course, it would be unrealistic to assume that all people have honesty and integrity, and therefore laws are promulgated and adopted that the many who abide by the law should have some protection and recourse against those who do not.

A republic, a government by a body of laws (in the case of the United States, the law is the constitution), can only endure so long as those entrusted with the execution of the law are themselves law abiding. In modern America, this is no longer the case, and since those in positions of public trust are in violation of that trust, we are witnessing the decline of "The Grand Experiment."

If you seek solutions, there are no easy ones. Voting in elections, regrettably, is not a viable option. Never totally sacrosanct, the election process has become more insidious and manipulated than at any previous time in the annals of this nation.

Voting in the jury box against the state, however, is an effective deterrent to criminal government. Refamiliarize yourself with the lessons of the English common law and juries and the tenets of the Magna Carta. Research the accounts of the forging and the founding of this country and bolster your understanding of the principles that make you a sovereign citizen in a free country. Knowledge truly is power. Get some!

Do you think Al Gore or George Bush, or anyone else in professional government will coach you on the finer points of liberty? It is not in the interests of self perpetuating and self aggrandizing politicians to instruct you in the business of self government, lest they find themselves out of a job.

Wield the power of the purse. Stop paying taxes. Don't feed the machine that is killing you! Maybe you'll have to barter some or even switch jobs. Maybe you'll be forced to deceive the deceivers at their own convoluted paper games. You may need to change your identity or fight a long hard court battle. No one said it would be easy, and remember, freedom is not free.

Pick your opportunities and spread your knowledge and insights to those who may not yet see the light, but who can somewhere deep down feel the heat of freedom's flame.

You say you can't do these things because you work for the government or you're living on government money? Maybe it's time to take a long look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you really want to continue to live from the fruits stolen from another's labors.

If you don't like what you see, get on the good foot. It's never too late to right a wrong.