Freedom
Freedom is not a gift. To quote conservative bumper stickers, “Freedom is not Free.” It comes only from the most dear of costs. It is bestowed only reluctantly after much bloodshed. It is by all real definitions, earned. I thank goodness, that the religious delusion of our current president can last for 18 more months.
My only hope is that the next occupant will in fact be a President; one we all can be proud of; clear of mind and reasonable.
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Chris, your logic seems strained. To say that a gift from god is the same as saying it comes without cost doesn't equate. But then again, hate does tend to strain logic.
Posted by Bob on August 6, 2007 02:42 PMI guess only the US gets freedom huh? Better open a text book to see if the whole world has the freedoms we do Chris. But at least you are free to write this kind of stupid crap! What a country!
Posted by on August 6, 2007 03:01 PMFreedom from Bush and most of the abominable politicians(both parties) we send to Washington D.C. (District of Criminals!) also, freedom from the dingbats we the people vote for in our respective states. That is what I would like to see!!.
To bad Mr. Shonka if there were an honest politician who was "clear of mind" and we elected him/her, by the time he/she spent a minute and a half in power he/she would be corrupted by our other "fine" politicians!
They make sure we can't win either way!
Posted by A on August 6, 2007 03:18 PMHow is freedom a gift from God when the Bible is full of passages condoning slavery?
Posted by Docjay on August 6, 2007 03:28 PMOne of the costs of Freedom is vigilance. Another one is to educate ourselves.
We are losing our freedoms in this country, because of inattentive, ignorant, Pollyanna Republicanism mixed with fascist, totalitarian fundamentalism.
Hate of dictators, hate of traitors, hate of incompetence, and hate of liars is healthy, and the natural response of those of us that can see through the propaganda to what the Neocons are doing to this country.
Rove / Bush use fearmongering and threats to advance their growing dictatorship, and because of the dimwitted, venal nature of Republicans, and the unconsciousness of a lot of normal, well-meaning Americans, they have been successful so far.
Their fraudulent, open-ended war / fiasco in Iraq makes terrorism worse, while providing a foil for hiding the more insidious Necon war against the foundations of our free society.
Freedom does not come from God. Freedom comes from alert citizens putting a stop to traitors like Bush and his deluded supporters.
God help us to help ourselves, before it's too late.
Posted by Adam on August 6, 2007 03:35 PMFreedom is not a gift from god, but it is a product of secular humanism. The Founding Fathers took a look at Europe and saw its history and stated that Europe can keep its Thirty Years War, its 100 Years War, its Inquisition, its forced conversions, its religiously sanctioned tyrants, its witch burnings and all sorts of other nastiness and said no thanks.
Now we, in the 21st Century, are looking at the Mid East and all the death and violence that is done in god's name and we are as appalled as the Founding Fathers were in their day. Yet there is still a large and powerful segment of America that wants to turn the US into a "Christian Nation" because countries that are theocracies have done so well in the past.
Freedom costs $1.05 oh yea....
Posted by Mike D. on August 6, 2007 04:42 PMFreedom is a gift from God is just some crap the idiot in chief's C or D level speech writer came up with to try to give him something to say without actually having to, um...you know...what's the word....um....think.
It sounds great if you don't feel like thinking either. That basically covers the Bible Belt and CO Springs.
Posted by Grog on August 6, 2007 05:15 PMFreedom is what the uniformed allow to be taken from them.
Freedom is what we are born with, and is so important, we fight for it.
Freedom is earned, freedom is granted, freedom is bestowed upon. Freedom, is ours, if we are smart enough to have it.
Freedom is not politics, partisanship, or even common sense.
Freedom is not bigoted, or blind, but aware and honest.
Freedom, is the souls ability to experience life.
How was that for a hippie answer? haha
Posted by Dan2 on August 6, 2007 05:22 PM"Freedom" that requires believe in an "Almighty" is not freedom at all. But that seems to be Mr. Shonka's point. Even Bush himself does not seriously believe that freedom is "the Almighty's gift to all" (except, perhaps, to all white heterosexual Christian Republicans with a six-figure-or-more annual income).
What always astounds me is that the people who make the glib speeches about the so-called cost of freedom are not the ones paying it.
Posted by Hans Christian Brando on August 6, 2007 05:28 PMhey adumb
We are losing our freedoms in this country, because of inattentive, ignorant, Pollyanna Republicanism mixed with fascist, totalitarian fundamentalism.
wasnt it the dumocrates that came up with all the laws that say what a private business can have as in the somking ban in private businesses?
I do agree with all of you hate bush libeal love the terrorist folks. we do need to stop the abuse we show the terrorist in cuba. instead lets just chop their heads off and film it and put it out on cnn, msnbc and all of the MSM channels. we could be so civil as the terrorist are. right?
now that would be wonderful.
Dan, Well said, Great hippie answer I loved it!
Posted by Mike D. on August 6, 2007 06:01 PMDan 2 -- caution as you wax philosophical...you might be viewed as in concert with Richard grimes.
Posted by on August 6, 2007 07:11 PMIf freedom is not a gift, or better yet, an inherent part of human kinds make up, why then do those not born or raised free have a compelling desire to posess it.
An equally important question; why are those born and raised free so willing to usurp other's freedoms, in order to secure their personal preferences, so blind to the reality that they are inviting the demise of their own
Freedom exists as an inborn force in all of creation. It is the basis of the fight or flight reaction to peril that all creatures on terra firma, in the air above it and under the seas of this planet.
Whether one chooses to attribute this to God, environment, war, education, social postiton, governmental design or the many other influences human kind has faced throughout the ages, is not the salient point,
the fact that it exists is.
Arguments about whence it came only serve to complicate a rock. The fact that it exists is enough and, the desire to attain, defend and secure that freedom is at the core of what inspired our founding fathers to set freedom down as the foundation of the great experiment known as the United States of American.
Posted by Allen Campbell on August 7, 2007 06:25 AMWould this 'All Mighty" Bush speaks of be named Dick Cheney by any chance?
Posted by on August 7, 2007 02:02 PM