Happy 4th, he said ironically.
America’s birthday. But the corpse of the freedom she represented has been dead a long time, and I don’t see any resurrection miracles on the immediate horizon.
I still love this nation, and think it’s the best one on the planet. But far too many of her citizens no longer desire freedom, they demand freebies. Too many don’t want opportunity, they want guarantees. The masses don’t want free speech, they want freedom from offense, and demand to shut down the speech of those they disagree with. They demand their opponents be wrapped and tied down like Harrison Bergeron. Too many of those in charge at all levels don’t desire challenge, they want sure things: they are risk averse, bureaucratic, and mindless rule-followers, and if judgment is demanded they want another rule passed by committee in which to wrap themselves for defense.
Many claim America is a proposition nation, but they feel inclined to toss aside the proposition claiming they are free to do so, without even being able to articulate what exactly the proposition is. They tout the benefits of immigration and diversity without ever acknowledging the steep costs. Ask a Native American how unlimited immigration of good people just wanting something better for their families worked out. Go ahead. Ask them.
In the name of tolerance and diversity a monolithic grey goo of conformity is being enforced, enforced by the most easily offended (or those that find it most useful to act offended) and those with the least to offer in terms of actual ability.
You have the freedom to speak… regulation-approved non-offensive speech, and truth, misunderstanding, or intent are not defenses against being an ‘offender’.
You have the freedom to keep and bear arms… if the government agrees to it.
You have the right to peaceably assemble… if you have the proper permit.
You have the right to be secure in your person, papers, and effects… unless it’s your email, your cell phone, your network of contacts, your computer, your FB account, etc….
You have the right to freely practice your religion… unless you are Christian and not in your church.
You have the right to not be offended… unless you are straight, or white, or male, or Christian. If you are all four, you are the constant butt of ridicule and vitriol without consequence, because…. equality?! On the other hand, if you challenge the facts or ideas of anyone that isn’t one of those things, it must be because you are misogynist, or racist, or homophobe, or some other brand of hater, never because the idea being questioned is wrong, impossible, self-contradictory, unaffordable, illegal, self-destructive,or stupid.
The laws apply to everyone equally… unless you are a well-connected Democrat or other Statist, or one of their big donors.
If you follow the rules, you are safe, even if the rules are insane, arbitrary, and self-contradictory, and in spite of the fact that the Nuremberg defense was discarded more than sixty years ago.
You quite reasonably are not allowed to tar all Muslims with the brush of “terrorist” for the actions of one (or two, or ten, or three a day for a year) Islamic terrorist who committed mass murder in the name of Islam, and constantly warn against backlash. Yet gun owners are unreasonably tarred as supporting mass murder and hatred because the terrorist used a gun, and a backlash against a constitutionally guaranteed right is constantly stoked in the media and by the political left. And the media sees no contradiction with these two directly opposed ideas.
Truth is no longer a measured against reality, but how many types of “oppressed” the speaker is, and how many sorts of “oppressor” the speaker is. (NOTE: this is satire.)
The rule of law applies to everyone… but the laws are so numerous and contradictory that it is quite impossible to even know them let alone follow them, and because the powers that be cannot prosecute all possible infractions, the laws are prosecuted arbitrarily against anyone that opposes The Narrative.
The constitution is clear in its wording, but is broadly violated every day by our politicians without consequence, and frequently with the support of many of the people.
This is the sort of mess that the nation’s founders fought against. It is a situation directly contrary to the constitution and the bill of rights. We are no longer a nation of laws, or even a nation (after all, we have no borders, no common principles, no identifiable people)… we are NOT a nation in any meaningful sense of the word.
I don’t know what the solution is, but historically speaking: resets that occur when that which cannot continue, doesn’t are messy. Very messy. Voting for either of the bifactional pro-State ruling parties is not going to help, because neither of them are dedicated to the ideals or ideas set out in our founding documents, or espoused by our founding fathers. They do not even seem to understand them.
Interesting times are afoot, and those that are easily offended are going to see what “going all the way to 11” really means before too many more years have passed.