What freedom do you have that can not be infringed or taken away arbitrarily?, page 1
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ATS Members have flagged this thread 8 times


reply posted on 11-5-2008 @ 10:18 PM by jackinthebox
reply to post by sarcastic



So, who will distribute the e-books without cost?


There is also the matter of the authors earning enough money to live on. How will they get paid? If the writers don't get paid for there were, there will be very few who are in a position to di research and then share their knowledge.

Then there is also the matter of promotion. It takes more than just a good product, you have to let the people know that the material is available and important.

The money for promotion is why we don't have good political candidates anymore. It's all about who can get the most money and run the best campaign, not about who has the best platform. You can be the most honorable person in the world, with the best ideas, but if you don't have the money to spread the word and defend yourself, you have no chance.


reply posted on 11-5-2008 @ 10:25 PM by Anti-Tyrant
reply to post by jackinthebox



The freedom to die in a manner of my choosing is one, so long as i am prepared to go to great lengths in some instances.

And no, i'm not talking about suicide.

This, i believe, will be the last to go.


reply posted on 11-5-2008 @ 10:31 PM by Karlhungis
reply to post by jackinthebox



I like the thread topic. It is more of a glass is half empty take on the other, "what freedoms have you lost" thread. I personally share your view. So far, it hasn't greatly affected my day to day life but the writing is on the wall. The fact that we no longer have any privacy is alarming to me. The fact that all of our internet viewing habits can be archived is alarming.

The research that I do to support my posts on here has got to have me on a list somewhere. My google search log just reeks of domestic terrorist / non conformist. I mean, common keywords that I have will search for on a given night:
"Government corruption
Political assassination
fascism
marijuana laws
internet piracy
ron paul
terrorism
......"

So knowing that it is being logged and can be used against me does make me uneasy. Combine that with the new and exciting "no knock" searches by the police that no longer require a warrant and it does tend to make the paranoid types like myself uneasy. Realistically, I shouldn't worry... but the stories are out there and it is always in the back of my mind.

Edit: courtesy flag

[edit on 11-5-2008 by Karlhungis]


reply posted on 12-5-2008 @ 08:11 PM by jackinthebox
reply to post by mybigunit



Well freedom of speech is really the only one we have left.


If you need a permit to speak, it is no longer a right, it is a privilege. Such as in the case of speaking to the public.

If you can be arrested for speaking your mind to the person who just ran a red light and smashed into your car, it is no longer a right at all.

If you are beaten and tased on your own front porch for telling the police that you are not afraid of them, you no longer enjoy the freedom of speech.

If ATS has to implement rules to curtail your freedom of speech, lest they be penalized in business, an "end-run" has been made around your freedom of speech. (Not the fault of ATS by the way, as many like to argue. This is the fault of a complacent and irresponsible society.)

If the government can influence distributors to leave your books sitting on the loading dock, your freedom of speech has been hamstrung.

I could go on, but no, we no longer enjoy the freedom of speech. Most importantly, the freedom of speech has been taken away under the Patriot Act. Granted, the measures have not been applied openly, but they will be, legally.


reply posted on 12-5-2008 @ 09:06 PM by jackinthebox
reply to post by mybigunit



I know all this but its not like Russia where if you say something against the government you could be taking a dirt nap.


But it has already begun. You pointed out the DC madam for one. Then there is the Valerie Plame affair, in which she could have easily been killed when the Bush administration intentionally blew her cover while she worked for CIA.

The noose is tightening.

Right now though, the most prevelant restriction to the freedom of speech is social and in business.

I remember what the climate was like in the run-up to the Iraq invasion. In my town, a few people spoke out against the war, and were, well, we'll call it "scrutinized" for it. I personally got a visit from a Commander in Naval Intelligence for a few comments that I made in public, even though I was not outright against the war at the time. I had commented however, that I was leary of the fervor and would have preferred some "pause" before we went running in guns blazing.

This was the overwhelming public opinion at the time, and is still very prevelant today, to the detriment of true patriotic values...



And in business, well, this chart shows where freedom of speech is headed...


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