The first Question – What?
What are we Fighting for?
Answer – Freedom
What is Freedom?
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint, and the absence of a despotic government.
Here are the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Freedom of the press prohibits the government from interfering with the printing and distribution of information or opinions. It can be limited by libel and copyright laws, and it doesn’t include the act of news gathering.
Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests. The right to freedom of association is recognized as a human right, a political freedom and a civil liberty. This freedom can be limited by laws that protect public safety.
Freedom of expression includes freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition. This freedom doesn’t extend to expression that defames, causes panic, creates fighting words, incites people to crime, creates sedition, or is obscene.
Freedom of speech is the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference. The right doesn’t extend to hate speech, advertising, child pornography, and a few other instances.
Freedom of religion is the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. This right extends to any religious belief, but not in the practice of all religious activities (for example, ones that involve breaking other laws).
Freedom means many things to many people. What does true freedom look like? It’s crucial to define what we mean by freedom so that we know what we’re fighting for and what we’re hoping to attain.
It is interesting that many of the freedoms we seek today are seen as ends in themselves, as a final goal to be attained. It’s as though we think that once our particular freedom is achieved, all our problems will be solved. Why? Because we’ll have freedom! But freedom from what? And freedom to do or be what?
The American founding fathers felt that this concept of Freedom was of utmost importance when they were deciding what the United States Of America would be, and how it would function. So much so that they wrote this line into the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Everybody loves freedom. Everybody wants it. At least, that is a common assumption. But a lot of other questions also need to be answered. But as for the Question What? My Answer and I believe everyone’s Answer in this Movement should be FREEDOM!
I believe Hans summed it up well at a PATCON quite some time back when he said our goal should be Rightful Liberty. That is not just a slogan. It is a path that if followed by all would allow people to live together without trespassing upon the rights of others. We are fighting for freedom but defined by Rightful Liberty.
“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.”
Thomas Jefferson
Here is Hans’ speech: https://ncrenegade.com/editorial/appalachian-network-patcon-hans-mentha/
Well stated Wes, I agree whole heartedly.
Objectivism doesn’t work on Croms, they read that, “unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the weakness of others.”