Politicians use the word regularly: Freedom. However, it is too often used as justification for wars of aggression or empire expansion.
Americans cherish the word, without providing a context.
What is Freedom and how is it achieved?
Franklin Roosevelt said that freedom has four qualities: 1) Freedom of speech and expression; 2) Freedom of religion; 3) Freedom from want; and 4) Freedom from fear.
That is as good a definition as I've come across. The first two are included in the Bill of Rights. The last two are a political struggle that even today we are engaged with internally as a nation.
But how are these freedoms achieved?
To that, I turn to Thomas Paine, who said that those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must undergo the fatigues of supporting it.
I believe what Paine meant is that we have the daily duty of Citizenship. We have the responsibility of informed and impartial knowledge of the workings of our government.
Let me be clear about one thing, We Are The Government; it's called a representative democracy.
Our freedoms are contained in the United States Constitution. It is our responsibility as Citizens to know what actions Our government is taking, and to hold our elected representatives accountable.
If we think that government is the problem, it is because we as Citizens have abdicated our duties.
Spend some time this week to know what bills are before Congress, and how your representative voted. Visit and sign up for alerts from Open Government.
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