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I could not agree more with the liberty-above-all folks - in terms of sentiment. I could not disagree more with them that the greatest threat to individual libe

I could not agree more with the liberty-above-all folks - in terms of sentiment. I could not disagree more with them that the greatest threat to individual liberty is the "government" - that was true back in the day of Paul Revere maybe. But times have changed. Nowadays the greatest threat, and a much more intelligent and subtle threat, too, is from Big Money. There's a war out there for people's minds, and we-the-people are currently losing. Chaining up the bodies is so medieval and inefficient, so why bother, when you can chain up the minds and then the slaves will passionately defend their own chains. It's easy, too, just set up some "think tanks", or promote some newfangled ideologies that seem to promise "liberty" while in fact weaken the very defenses that support it. Problem solved. I lived the first 2 decades of my life under communist dictatorship, so I think I know from first hand experience what freedom, or lack thereof, truly mean.

refurb 12y ago
I could not disagree more with them that the greatest threat to individual liberty is the "government" - that was true back in the day of Paul Revere maybe. But times have changed. You've got to be kidding. Most of the violations of human rights that occur in the world come from governments. What other entity is powerful enough to take everything you have and thrown you in prison?
- namlem 12y ago
  There's no such thing as a world without governments. A large scale stateless society is impossible. If you weaken the power of democratic governments, non-democratic entities will take their place as the de facto government.
  - refurb 12y ago
    That didn't answer the question. If the world can't exist without governments, that doesn't imply that governments won't take away your freedoms.
TelmoMenezes 12y ago
> I lived the first 2 decades of my life under communist dictatorship, so I think I know from first hand experience what freedom, or lack thereof, truly mean. So you experienced a regime where government became too powerful and oppressive in the name of protecting the interests of the people, and you conclude that the biggest threat to freedom is not enough government to protect the interests of the people?

refurb 12y ago

I could not disagree more with them that the greatest threat to individual liberty is the "government" - that was true back in the day of Paul Revere maybe. But times have changed. You've got to be kidding. Most of the violations of human rights that occur in the world come from governments. What other entity is powerful enough to take everything you have and thrown you in prison?

namlem 12y ago
There's no such thing as a world without governments. A large scale stateless society is impossible. If you weaken the power of democratic governments, non-democratic entities will take their place as the de facto government.
- refurb 12y ago
  That didn't answer the question. If the world can't exist without governments, that doesn't imply that governments won't take away your freedoms.

TelmoMenezes 12y ago

> I lived the first 2 decades of my life under communist dictatorship, so I think I know from first hand experience what freedom, or lack thereof, truly mean. So you experienced a regime where government became too powerful and oppressive in the name of protecting the interests of the people, and you conclude that the biggest threat to freedom is not enough government to protect the interests of the people?