And electric lighting exists. If you're going to define when noise is acceptable based on when any significant contingent of people are up and active, then nois

And electric lighting exists. If you're going to define when noise is acceptable based on when any significant contingent of people are up and active, then noise at 1AM (3AM on weekends) also falls under that definition. Yet the early riser coalition tends to complain about that... And never mind that the main value add of leaf blowers (over the traditional rake) is to coat your neighbors with debris and dust, thus necessitating even more cleaning (inside too, if they dared to have their windows open). Also I'd say it's your characterization of freedom that is a narrow misunderstanding. I'd define freedom as the ability for individuals to make their own choices in the presence of society. Being the only person for miles and thus being "free" to do whatever you want isn't some sensible ideal of freedom, rather it's a pathological case that has made freedom irrelevant. In other words, freedom itself directly depends on tolerance. And by the time a city is forcing someone to build yet another ticky-tack fence to hide the mere sight of a perhaps-ill-advised boat it's clear that there is very little tolerance aka respect for freedom.