The Glaring Omission Of Talk About Freedom In Political Speeches (Issue 75)

Several weeks ago, I wrote a story about lincoln logs. Last week, while playing with my 3-year-old grandson trying to erect a lincoln log house, I watched him as he tried to fit the logs together. He kept trying to put a flat-sided log into a grooved space and couldn’t make it fit. I decided to watch him try to figure it out. He struggled with it for several minutes, then threw his hands up and said, “this is serious.”

What is serious is a relative conclusion. To a 3-year-old not being able to make lincoln logs fit was indeed a serious challenge to him.
 
After listening to the Democratic and Republican conventions and all the speeches and vicious rhetoric that followed, all I could say is “this is serious.” The conditions in this country and the direction we are headed prompts me to suggest my 3-year-old grandchild, as the next generation, will most likely face serious challenges.

Conversely, it has always been my belief, because so many have fought and died for this country, the least we can do is leave things in better shape for the next generation. And as I sit here today and reflect upon things as they are, I believe we have failed miserably to leave things for future generations better than we found them when we started out in life. And this IS serious.
 
Early on in life, I heard it said that we as individuals cannot change the direction of another individual. The direction one chooses can only be decided upon by each individual. In the final analysis, despite any persuasion from others, the decision for direction is ultimately always up to each individual. However, what others can do by suggestion, persuasion or other methods, is speed things up or slow them down.

For example, if one’s chosen direction is success and willing to apply all that is required for success, no other person can change that direction but can take actions to slow one down or speed one up in that direction. On the other hand, if ones chosen the direction to lead a non-productive destructive lifestyle, only that particular individual can change that direction. Others can only speed it up or slow it down.
 
If this is true, who and how can anyone change the direction toward socialism we have headed. We are already far down this road and continuing at a rather rapid rate. And this is not an opinion, but recognition of the facts as they exist. Why is it not one of the hundreds of elected officials have changed this direction or slowed it down?

Senator John McCain has been at the seat of power over 20 years as this erosion of individual freedom has taken place. Senator Obama has been in state and federal government as an elected official several years, so why has he not done anything to the change direction or slow things down? Senator Biden has been at the seat of power a number of years. Why has he not done anything to halt the onslaught and destruction of personal freedom and individual property rights?
 
Now comes along a fresh face, Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, who from all reports is a crusader to reform and reduce the powers of political government . . . a courageous, smart lady on the ticket to be vice president. Having chosen her, Senator McCain is now making speeches about how change is coming and he can’t wait to introduce her to the Washington crowd to initiate changes. In the meantime, the news media is ripping her up one side and then the other.
 
All the candidates in verbiage condemn the status quo in Washington with flowery speeches about change. “Power corrupts.” And not the nature of political government to relinquish any of the power it has established. Only to sustain what it has, while gaining more. Any notion there is going to be any reduction in the power hold the central political government has over the people is hogwash, naive, and unthinking in a state of denial. No matter who is elected, they will not change the direction this great nation is headed. They can only speed it up or slow it down. Only the people can change the direction.

Have we forgotten the writings of George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm? Have we forgotten his writings about double think, double talk and labeling? Every day on the news I hear Americans labeled all kinds of names—moderates,  centrists, middle of the roaders, liberals, conservatives, ultra liberals, ultra conservatives, far right, far left, religious right, and on and on, while placing everyone in a red state or a blue state. We have allowed politicians and news pundits to label and pigeon hole us in slots of their choosing, until we don’t know who we are. We have been brainwashed and are seemingly indifferent to all the labeling and name-calling. Repetition seems to have numbed us out and will most likely, in November, like sheep to slaughter, go to the polls to reinstate the same power brokers with a mantra of “change.”
 
While hundreds of thousands are out of work and losing their homes, with energy and food cost rising, we are going to reinstate the same bunch that helped bring us to this brink of disaster.
 
There is much in life that we have no control over. All the destructive hurricanes, tornadoes and floods, we can do nothing to prevent. Conversely, there is much we can control and change. Inherent in the spirit of the American people is the ability to change and shift the power in the bottleneck of politics and return the control back to the individuals where it belongs. It’s as though the devil got lose on a crutch and began wreaking havoc in the lives of millions causing the loss of jobs, income, our homes . . . adversely affecting all areas of our lives. Sadly, we allowed it to happen. We voted ourselves into this dilemma, yet we cannot vote our way out.
 
The seat of centralized government changes individuals, they do not change the status quo of things there. The direction and aim of those already there does not change. The acquisition of more and more power over the masses will continue, until the masses wake up and realize it’s all an illusion, a mirage, that those in power will relinquish one iota of it.
 
I remind you of the inverted pyramid I have written about before. In the beginning of this country, the base of power was invested at the base of the pyramid, representing the power of the people, with governmental power represented by the tip of the pyramid. Now it is inverted, resting on its tip, representing the people, with the broad base at the top representing the power of political government.

How long can it remain in this inverted position before toppling over?  That precarious tip it now rests upon is “We the People.”
 
I admire the courage and stamina of individuals like Sarah Palin. I admire her desire to change and shift the power of political government and return control back to the people, as reported in the news since she was nominated as VP. On the other hand, if it is true political power thrives, proliferates, and sub-divides on opposition to it and dependency upon it, it does not seem likely any elected politician, can or will turn things around. Only the people can do that. If wishes were horses, we would all have a ranch.
 
Lately, since the Republican convention, we hear repeatedly by John McCain, “Country First.” I don’t know what that means. I clearly understand what “Freedom First” means.  I personally have a great love for this country because of the freedom principles upon which it was founded. And the freedom provided for its citizens as a result of the rebellion against the tyranny of the oppressive British government and rule. This country became great as a result of the freedom afforded its citizenry.
 
A large clue as to what is happening is the absence of speeches and talk about freedom in this presidential campaign. It seems to be a taboo word now-a day. Why is that? Country first is what is touted in Communist countries like China and Cuba. Except they usually claim “The State” first instead of saying “Country First.” The “State First” under communism translates into the political power of government over the country. If we are to understand what is taking place politically, we need to listen to what is not being said and the glaring absence of any discussion about individual freedom from the media, pundits and politicians, is a rather chilling omission to me.
 
I have heard no speeches from anyone about the reduction of political power to return individual freedom and personal property rights back to the people . . . something is very wrong. And it was as though it leaped out of the TV to me as McCain kept repeating “Country First.”

This country became great as a result of the freedom it afforded its individual citizenry. This country was not so great while under the bondage of a foreign oppressive government. It became great once released from those chains with the people fighting a war to declare themselves free, winning the right to decide how they would live their lives, acquire property and raise their families under the umbrella of freedom.

Freedom is a state of being and sovereignty of oneself. It is Freedom that is FIRST!
 
Absolutely nothing supersedes that.
 
Let Freedom Ring!
 
JUST ME,
AC

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