4 ms·

The US government is becoming increasingly opposed to individual freedom (see: the DEA, the TSA, the NSA, its response to Wikileaks, its incarceration rates, it

The US government is becoming increasingly opposed to individual freedom (see: the DEA, the TSA, the NSA, its response to Wikileaks, its incarceration rates, its use of torture, etc, etc, etc). I'm glad there are still people like Jacob who will put up a fight against these infringements. So many people choose the path of least short-term resistance.

TruthElixirX 15y ago
It has been opposed to individual freedom since it put down the Whiskey Rebellion. If people cared about personal freedom George Washington would have been hung for treason.
- darklajid 15y ago
  You intrigued me. Care to drop a couple of keywords that I could use in a search for my new quest to explore that history?
  - Zev 15y ago
    The history of the Federalist party and of the Alien and Sedition Acts would be a good starting point. And, as TruthElixirX said, the Whiskey Rebellion. For bonus points, be sure to pay attention to the American political response to the French Revolution and the XYZ affair, and to the relationship early America had with Britain[1]. Note: George Washington himself didn't belong to any political party (and he has famously spoken out against their existence). But, a lot of his policies were aligned with the Federalist party ideals. 1. If the words "Special Relationship" don't mean much to you, thats another fun topic to explore — and this is where it all started. But that's only marginally related to the question you asked.
  - TruthElixirX 15y ago
    I'm not really sure what to tell you. In my ideal world the Whiskey Rebellion succeeded. George Washington was hung for treason. The Articles of Confederation were not replaced through the Constitutional Coup. Slavery becomes out competed by the market and in areas where it is not out competed guerrilla armies of abolitionists attack plantations/slave owners in the night and smuggle out their newly freed comrades. Start here: http://www.bigheadpress.com/tpbtgn?page=55 http://www.bigheadpress.com/tpbtgn?page=55 Its a graphic novel, bur whatever. It will give you an idea of what gets my libertarian boner going in regards to revising history.
acabal 15y ago
Exactly why I'm leaving as soon as I can secure a residency permit in my country of choice. While every country has its problems and there's no utopia, I'd rather live in a place that has no illusions about the realities of its flaws and rights. You can't fix something if you don't even realize there's a problem.
- udp 15y ago
  Just out of curiosity, what's your country of choice?
  - acabal 15y ago
    Germany. My girlfriend lives there, and besides being the powerhouse economy of the Eurozone at the moment, they seem to have more or less successfully blended a highly successful capitalist economy with realistic and humane social initiatives. To broadly generalize, the people here have a strong work ethic, are highly educated by average US standards, and take pride in what they do. They have a strong outdoors tradition and have highly progressive (again, by US standards) green-living initiatives. While I'm not yet that well educated in Germany politics and policies, my initial vague impression is that while they're not as big on certain civil rights as people ostensibly are in the States (open government censorship and sometimes discriminatory hiring practices, for example), neither do they have any illusions about those policies. If you do cross the law, punishments appear reasonable--not $3 million and a lifetime of bankruptcy and lawyers if you share 5 songs on Kazaa. Lots of other countries like to poke fun and point out the flaws in many of Germany's policies, and they certainly may be right, but Germany as viewed from the lens of a self-employed American engineer unable to get even basic health insurance is, at times, seemingly a progressive paradise.
    - brndnhy 15y ago
      > a self-employed American engineer unable to get even basic health insurance Why is that?
      - 15y ago

TruthElixirX 15y ago

It has been opposed to individual freedom since it put down the Whiskey Rebellion. If people cared about personal freedom George Washington would have been hung for treason.

darklajid 15y ago
You intrigued me. Care to drop a couple of keywords that I could use in a search for my new quest to explore that history?
- Zev 15y ago
  The history of the Federalist party and of the Alien and Sedition Acts would be a good starting point. And, as TruthElixirX said, the Whiskey Rebellion. For bonus points, be sure to pay attention to the American political response to the French Revolution and the XYZ affair, and to the relationship early America had with Britain[1]. Note: George Washington himself didn't belong to any political party (and he has famously spoken out against their existence). But, a lot of his policies were aligned with the Federalist party ideals. 1. If the words "Special Relationship" don't mean much to you, thats another fun topic to explore — and this is where it all started. But that's only marginally related to the question you asked.
- TruthElixirX 15y ago
  I'm not really sure what to tell you. In my ideal world the Whiskey Rebellion succeeded. George Washington was hung for treason. The Articles of Confederation were not replaced through the Constitutional Coup. Slavery becomes out competed by the market and in areas where it is not out competed guerrilla armies of abolitionists attack plantations/slave owners in the night and smuggle out their newly freed comrades. Start here: http://www.bigheadpress.com/tpbtgn?page=55 http://www.bigheadpress.com/tpbtgn?page=55 Its a graphic novel, bur whatever. It will give you an idea of what gets my libertarian boner going in regards to revising history.

acabal 15y ago

Exactly why I'm leaving as soon as I can secure a residency permit in my country of choice. While every country has its problems and there's no utopia, I'd rather live in a place that has no illusions about the realities of its flaws and rights. You can't fix something if you don't even realize there's a problem.

udp 15y ago
Just out of curiosity, what's your country of choice?
- acabal 15y ago
  Germany. My girlfriend lives there, and besides being the powerhouse economy of the Eurozone at the moment, they seem to have more or less successfully blended a highly successful capitalist economy with realistic and humane social initiatives. To broadly generalize, the people here have a strong work ethic, are highly educated by average US standards, and take pride in what they do. They have a strong outdoors tradition and have highly progressive (again, by US standards) green-living initiatives. While I'm not yet that well educated in Germany politics and policies, my initial vague impression is that while they're not as big on certain civil rights as people ostensibly are in the States (open government censorship and sometimes discriminatory hiring practices, for example), neither do they have any illusions about those policies. If you do cross the law, punishments appear reasonable--not $3 million and a lifetime of bankruptcy and lawyers if you share 5 songs on Kazaa. Lots of other countries like to poke fun and point out the flaws in many of Germany's policies, and they certainly may be right, but Germany as viewed from the lens of a self-employed American engineer unable to get even basic health insurance is, at times, seemingly a progressive paradise.
  - brndnhy 15y ago
    > a self-employed American engineer unable to get even basic health insurance Why is that?
    - 15y ago