'They Hate Us Because of Our
Freedom'

by Alfred A. Hambidge,
Jr.

Whenever I hear
“they hate us because of our freedom” or "because they hate our way of
life" or some other such drivel, I don’t know whether to laugh or
cry.  If real people didn’t
suffer the consequences of it, such ignorance would be amusing.  But another annoying thing about
statements like these is that they perpetuate the myth that we live in a
land of freedom.  The sad fact
is, we are not free, and haven't been for a long, long time.

In They
Thought they Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45, Milton Mayer wrote about
how the German people kept believing they were still free while the Nazis
were tightening their control and extending their power over every facet
of life.  At first people
refused to see the obvious, because the infringements on their freedom
were coming in small steps.
Each of those small steps, on its own, seemed to be no big deal,
nothing to rebel against.  But
by the time you could no longer ignore the big picture, it was too
late.  “Suddenly it all comes down, all at
once. You see what you are, what you have done, or, more accurately, what
you haven't done (for that was all that was required of most of us: that
we do nothing) . . . You remember everything now, and your heart
breaks.  Too late.  You are compromised beyond
repair.”  Remember, all the
people had to do for all that to happen was--nothing.  The same phenomenon is happening right
here, right now, in the U.S. of A.
It had been proceeding at a slower rate than 70 years ago in
Germany
, but now the
pace quickens.

I know there
are some who will say, “Wait a minute, fella.  You’re going too far.  The U.S. of A. is still a free
country.”   O.K.,
then.  If you’re free, you
should have no trouble doing something that people have done for time
immemorial.  Buy a cow,
shelter and feed and care for it, milk it, and sell the milk. Go ahead,
try it and see what happens.
Come back and let us know how free you are to do such a simple
thing, which has been done since the dawn of civilization.

Freedom is a
state of being where an individual does not have to get permission in
order to do something that harms no one else’s person or property.  How many things can you do without
getting some form of government permission? Can you build your house on
your own property without obtaining government approval?  Can you put a new room on your
house?  Or a new porch?   Put in a new toilet?  Or even put a shed in your
backyard?  If you are not free
to make your home on your own property, you are not free.

Once you have
that home, can you refuse to sell it to the government if they want to use
your land for some other purpose?
Can you make them go away simply by telling them, “I will not sell
you my property, at any price!”   If you are not free to
choose if, when, how, to whom, and for how much you will sell your
property, you are not free.

Can you drive a
motor vehicle across this “free” country without someone in government
approving of you as a driver?
Or without getting government permission to use that vehicle on the
roads?  If you are not free to
travel without permission, you are not free.

Can
you buy a pistol without government permission?  Can you drive across the country
with it on your person, even if you have permission to drive a properly
permitted vehicle?  There’s a
man, a good man from what I’ve heard, who got in trouble in
Ohio
for doing just
that.  And I’ll bet there are
many more good people that I haven’t heard of who wound up in similar
trouble.  Let’s remind them
how free they are.  Could
anyone even ride a horse cross-country, with an old
Winchester
rifle in a scabbard,
without being hassled?  If you
are not free to have a firearm at hand for self-defense, no matter where
you go, you are not free.

Are you free to
say to the government, “I don’t like your retirement plan; therefore, I
will no longer pay for it?”
Can you, without penalty, tell the government that you will no
longer pay for subsidies, for regulations, for wars, for empire, or for
any activities that you disapprove?   If you are not free to
refuse to pay for things that you do not want, you are not free.

If the
government decides it needs more troops to build and maintain its empire,
can you refuse to go if it calls for you?  Will they leave you alone if you
tell them you won’t kill and die for them?  Can you simply ignore the draft,
without consequence?  Can you
refuse to be a conscripted slave?
If you are not free to tell the government “Hell no, I won’t go!”
you are not free.

Can you open a business, like a simple
barbershop, without government permission?  Or how about a bakery?  A diner?   A hot dog stand?  A gun shop?  It’s been said that before we
invaded Iraq
, there were more gun shops in
Baghdad than in
Washington D.C.
Can you wire or
plumb or fix TVs or cars without a government license?   If you’re not free to make a
living without getting permission, you are not free.

And once you
have government approval to open a restaurant or bar, are you free to
decide what people may do within your business?  Can you choose whether or not they
may smoke on the premises?
Are you free to invite them to light up and enjoy a cigarette, a
cigar, or a pipe with their drink, or after their meal?  If you are not free to decide what
people may or may not do on your property or within your business, you are
not free.

Are you free to
smoke a joint?  Are you free
to hire someone to help you satisfy a physical urge?  You can do both in the same
afternoon in Amsterdam
.  I haven’t heard of anybody
attacking the Dutch because of their freedom.  If you are not free to entertain
your mind and body in any way that does not harm another, with anyone who
is willing, you are not free.

Can you undergo
any medical treatment you think is in your best interest?  Can you use whatever drug you deem
appropriate for your condition?
Can you even get some marijuana to help you avoid nausea so you can
keep your meds from coming back up?
Can you get it just to feel a little better for a little
while?  If you are not free to
pursue any treatment or use any substance you think might help you obtain,
regain, or retain your health, you are not free.

Are you able to
criticize political candidates by name?  A week before the next election or
primary, place a newspaper or TV or magazine or radio ad criticizing a
candidate.  Let us know how
you fare.  The Supreme Court
says it’s okay to make that a crime.
If you are not free to talk about politicians at any time, at any
place, by any means, in any form, you are not free.

Can you take
your children out of a government or conventional private school setting,
without explaining to some bureaucrat how you plan to educate them?  Can you homeschool them without
getting government approval of your lesson plans?  Can you tell everyone to buzz off,
that it’s none of their business how or if you educate your kids?  If you are not free to teach your
children what you want, where you want, when you want, and how you want,
you are not free.

So, let’s
reiterate.  You need
government permission to make your home, travel, earn a living, defend
yourself, obtain medical treatment, and educate your children.  You will never get government
approval for many of those things in many places.  You will never get government
permission to entertain your mind and body in unapproved ways.  At certain times, you cannot
criticize those who decide who and what gets approved.  You must sell your property to the
government if they want it, and you must kill and die for them if they
tell you to.  And you have no
choice but to pay for it all anyway, whether you like it or not.

And
still, we think we are free.

April 19,
2004

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Al
Hambidge
morbidly watches the Rise of Empire, wondering why so many are admiring
the emperor’s new clothes.

Al Hambidge
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