a reply to:
Azureblue
I have to say that in current speech the words are used interchangeably. you seem to advocate a clear distinction.
The word liberty is not an English word. It is a loan word.
late 14c., "free choice, freedom to do as one chooses," also "freedom from the bondage of sin," from Old French liberte "freedom, liberty, free
will" (14c., Modern French liberté), from Latin libertatem (nominative libertas) "civil or political freedom,
condition of a free man; absence of
restraint; permission," from liber "free" (see liberal (adj.)). At first of persons; of communities, "state of being free from arbitrary,
despotic, or autocratic rule or control" is from
late 15c.
The French notion of liberty is political equality; the English notion is personal independence. [William R. Greg, "France in January
1852"
in "Miscellaneous Essays"]
Nautical sense of "leave of absence" is from
1758. Meaning "unrestrained action, conduct, or expression" (1550s) led to take liberties "go
beyond the bounds of propriety" (1620s). Sense of "privileges by grant" (14c.) led to sense of "a person's private land" (mid-15c.), within which
certain special privileges may be exercised, which yielded in 18c. in both England and America a sense of "a district within a county but having its
own justice of the peace," and also "a district adjacent to a city and in some degree under its municipal jurisdiction" (as in Northern Liberties of
Philadelphia). Also compare Old French libertés "local rights, laws, taxes." (bold mine)
As you can see from comparing the idea behind the word through time and place, it is, though connected, sometimes looking at different aspects of the
state of being free.
The word is also open to new import, meaning that currently the freedom from thirst, hunger, homelessness, basically, what is considered conducive to
human dignity, are also elements which should fall under freedom. The thought is: what good is to be independent, why you die of hunger? So, the term
and original meaning gets changed to incorporate "liberal" ideals, which basically are nothing more than socialist objects.
Freedom, the state of being free, and liberty have no different meaning in root and usage. Even in view of the claimed application of admiralty law in
the US, instead of the law of the land, I see no reason to shy away from these words in one direction or another.
Freedom is a typical English word. Liberty a Latin, through French transliteration.
But if it rocks your boat and you feel better for it, please by any means, pursue your happiness.