Monday, November 12, 2007

Freedom



I couldn't sleep this morning so as usual I'm up lurking around the web to see what's new. I ran across Simply Me. Just had to repost it.. Thanks Tina.

This is a free country so why is it not okay to criticize. Someone told me recently that we should never say negative things about the president out of respect for the office, but it is precisely because of my respect for the office that I am critical of the present holder. I am posting comment from that blog as well because Tex said it better than I can.

Our freedoms are actually being reduced not saved or enhanced and the newspeak being used is blatant opposite labelling of what really happens - if our freedoms are reduced, they say "this is to protect your freedom", if they support a non conventional military campaign, it is called "freedom fighting", if they don't like it, it is called terrorism. If bureaucracy is increased they call it "red-tape" reduction policy. The examples pop up every day, and are so prevalent that we tend to overlook many of them because they have become normal.

10 comments:

rick b said...

Here is something people never think about,
The president is not a King, it is not like a king who says, such and such and it is law, the People WE put into office can Elect people to go into the goverment and over ride what any president does or put a stop to it.

Sadly MANY people never vote, I heard and do not have exact numbers here, but I heard that only around a 1,000 people vote and the votes of a 1,000 people will rule over millions.

The number of the 1,000 is just a number for the sake of this thought, but the point is, like here where I live in Minnesota, we are a very highly taxed state and I hate it, yet when it comes time to vote to raise or lower taxes, so few people vote that those who want to raise taxes win.

it is always making the news when it comes time to vote, that really hardly anyone votes. I know my brother refuses to vote and most of my coworkers refuse to vote, yet these guys tend to complain the loudest, I'm sorry but if you do not vote then you get what or who ever the others choose for you.

So anyway, my point is this, we can change things in office, yet many people only complain but do nothing, like Vote for example, to change things. Rick b

Interested said...

No he isn't a king but he is trying to be a dictator. Have you read Directive 51?

And you are right we do elect these people but too often they don't do what they say they will do. Part of it is the system we have whereby the guy with the most money wins but some is just downright deceit.

As for voting it is a right not a mandate. We have a free country so yes they do have a right to complain, even if they don't vote.

Don't get me wrong; I wish more people voted but we can't make them vote. The best we can do is try to educate the non-voter to the end that an educated, informed person will want to vote.

rick b said...

I do not agree that if you do note vote you can complain, if you do not vote and you do not like who is in office then thats to bad, maybe you should vote next time. Rick b

Interested said...

You may not agree Rick but remember we have freedom of speech which includes the right to bitch and complain.

tina FCD said...

Ditto!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

rick b; King? Never thought our president was king in any way shape or form, even throughout history.

35% of the populace go to cast their vote at the ballot (US). A sad state indeed. Looking back in history (before womens suffrage) I would think that we probably had a higher voter turn-out because there was a lesser base to "turn out". Women and blacks were not allowed to vote before this time. So it stands to reason that voter turn-outs would be higher then (because white men were the voting base; a minuscule base compared to the voting populace of today).

Why not now? Why is there not a higher voter turn out? I will say just this: Hard times. Most of the voting populace who do not turn up at the voting booth are probably struggling to make ends meet.

Another explanation could be attributed to the "Super Tuesday" phenomenon which was instituted to accommodate 18th and 19th century farmers and church-goers enough time to get to "town" in time (before or after church services (weekly - Tuesday) and the harvest (annually - November)) to cast their vote. Again, making policy decisions based on religion.

In these days there is less reliance on the "Super Tuesday" policy to accommodate all voters because we can all get to a voting station within minutes. But hell, it's on a frickin' Tuesday when every working Joe is just finishing a hard days labor and is ready to take a load off.

Make voting on a Saturday and I assure you we would see a turnout the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time.

Interested; As much as I espouse the freedom not too...

I must say that I agree with rick b to a agree on this one. Bitch all one wants about the state of affairs and I invariably will point out the fact that they failed to express their position by voting.
"We the people" does indeed emphasise the whole of society, yet the vote emphasises the voice of society. This is the system in which we find ourselves.

Now let's get rid of the Electoral College.

Interested said...

Larro: While I don't appreciate people who bitch and don't vote my point is that they are free to do so. But, few listen to them anyway. If they don't care enough to vote they probably aren't well informed about the issues.

I second the motion on the electoral college.

rick b said...

Larro, if you read this, I was not saying Bush or any president is king, I was saying they are not like kings of old, Kings of old said something and it was law. Now a days the president does not have that kind of power and he cannot simply say something and it is so. I also agree that we should do away with the electoral college. Rick b

Unknown said...

rick b;

Ok.