Your definition of freedom

I know what mine is.

I know where I live, I know what actually exists and what I'd like.

I live in America. The US of A. I know that our ever-growing government is eroding freedoms.

I wish we had more.

My definition would include more freedom to make personal choices. From seatbelts, to helmets to healthcare. I think we have too many laws.

People should be free to smoke, drink, ingest whatever they want.
People should be free to be a prostitute if they want.

Don't infringe upon others.

Smaller government.

Fewer laws.

Lower taxes.



That's me.

What's your definition?

a reply to: DBCowboy

Freedom is when you step outside the gilded cage. I don't think there is any worldly 'freedom' to soothe my longing.

I am a prisoner of my own unhappiness. There isn't freedom, there is only a more spacious cage.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Typically I know you have a great sense of humour on a variety issues.
Not here, I see your point. S&F...

I really don't know mine. I honestly believe if i do no harm to others, or to myself that eventually involves others...
Gosh. I don't know. To busy fearing the system.. pay taxes.. abide the law.. put down the tiolete seat after use and wiping it down. Don't litter, recycle,..Etc etc.. brush my teeth and rewind the VHS Tape..

🤤🤤🤤🤤

a reply to: DBCowboy

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose." Words written by a Rhodes Scholar and sung by an amazing talent. I understand your issues with seat-belts, helmets, etc.. But those are symptoms of the true problem, IMO. To me freedom means no secrets. Freedom from being required to fund wars against people who would never affect my life, wars against our own citizens, wars against our right to be free from gov'tal intrusions. Freedom to me is the ability to disassociate from the crimes against the international community and ourselves by three letter agencies that are accountable to no one but themselves, freedom intellectually and morally inferior people who only care about re-election and not about the citizenry. I could go on all night, but I'll stop here for my the sake of my own blood pressure.

a reply to: DBCowboy

After ages of not posting, freedom is crusin into a thread, letting one rip and getting the # out.

a reply to: DBCowboy

I think concepts of freedom relate to levels of responsibility.

For some, anarchy, the absence of rules, is freedom.

For me, freedom is societal. I would not class anything that abuses human rights (even my own ones), as a freedom.

Within limits, there is great latitude of things we can do which do not infringe upon such rights and I am content with that.

a reply to: DBCowboy

True freedom lies within you, the rest is just bonus.

A hundred acres of untainted land, a good tractor (is request a mule if I knew how to use one), and freedom from the oppressive overbearing government.


I know of a guy who is being fined $7000 plus $500 a day for every day he doesn't drain a pond he made on his own land.
If he blew the dam he built with his own money, here destroy another person's home- so he's forced to drain it slowly before blowing it.

To me, that isn't freedom. Freedom would be taking the person fining you for building your own fish pond, and burring them under it.

If you choose to live in a city, you give up certain rights on your personal space.

If you choose and manage to own more than 50 acres...
Leave me and mine to live our lives. Anything else isn't freedom. Get off my lawn, if you will. This is my land, and you're disturbing my chickens. That's an offense punishable by death on my property.

I'll give fair warning, of course- because I'm reasonable.

freedom is taco any day, not just Tuesday.

but I think freedom today has too many asterisk attached at the end.
your freedom in your state will not be freedom in my state. (I live in la la Land Mentalists California...)

a reply to: DBCowboy

What is freedom?

Doing whatever you want yet be willing to sustain the consequences of your choices and own them entirely.

Some laws are good. Too many laws can impede personal freedoms. I'm with you in general but we do need laws. Why? Simple. There are a lot of really stupid people out there the rest of us need to be insulated from.

No governments or busybodies telling me how to live or what to think .

Able to go where want when want without being poked , prodded , molested , tracked by government minions .

Able to eat , drink , smoke whatever the hell I want to without some idiot telling me not to .

Not having idiots with nothing better to do poke their noses into my business .

Basically for the world to piss off and leave me the hell alone .

Unfortuneatly theres no escape from the damn nanny state and idiots in todays world .

My definition : 200,000 BC

a reply to: DBCowboy

It's that word that Braveheart yelled out just before ordering his men to charge.

a reply to: DBCowboy

I agree on the 'too many laws' thing. It seems like they keep coming and they're an easy way for politicians to look like they're busy, busy, busy. They don't listen to experts and go ahead with the BS because it either suits them or appeals to some political demographic. Look at drug laws for example...barely an expert in Europe or USA supports them. Kids going on holiday in term time etc. These should be nobody's business.

A lot of them come about because of litigation culture too. In the UK, workers can get in trouble for using chairs/tables to reach high things. UK police aren't allowed to change lightbulbs. They have to have a designated person using specified bulbs who has to stand on authorised ladders that have safety rails. Same for the clock battery. Bus drivers used to let people (elderly, kids, pregnant women etc) of the bus at locations that were helpful or safer. Not allowed anymore. Health & safety and litigating assholes means they can get fired and sued. Crazy stuff.

So yeah, politicians, lawyers and greedy litigators have been chipping away at freedoms for years and who's going to stop them? The people who can change this are the same f****** who've made it this way! It's laughable and depressing all at the same time.

a reply to: TobyFlenderson

I understand your issues with seat-belts, helmets, etc.. But those are symptoms of the true problem, IMO.

I used to think the same way about seatbelts until it came up on a first aid course. The guy delivering the course said he'd been to multiple vehicle crashes and seen the difference in outcomes between helmet/no helmet and seatbelts/no seatbelts. Changed my mind the same day.

A biker or motorist can say it's their body and they'll do what they like with it. The opposing view is from the emergency services who potentially have to use valuable time and resources shoveling up a carcass or having to remove victims from steering wheels. The seatbelt can save them the business of telling families someone's dead. It certainly frees up hospital beds and so on. Not wearing the seatbelt can therefore have profound effects on others. Gotta say I fricken HATE the beeps and whines when I haven't put my belt on. That's intrusive technology at its worst.

All your freedoms are in the Constitution...our Governments thru the years have found ways to circumvent those writings. I.E. Controlled Substance Act of the 70's......Nixon was an arse-hole. My freedoms and your pretty much in lock step. I simply want to be left the hell alone. Let me grow what I want, ferment whatever I want, and do what I want with my property. Let me do that, I'll gladly pay my tax...without all the lip I give now about doing it...Governments......the thumb of oppression since the inception of Governments....They gave the church a damn break.a reply to: DBCowboy

originally posted by: Kandinsky

I used to think the same way about seatbelts until it came up on a first aid course. The guy delivering the course said he'd been to multiple vehicle crashes and seen the difference in outcomes between helmet/no helmet and seatbelts/no seatbelts. Changed my mind the same day.

Common sense or lack thereof should never be a reason for laws. The second we allowed government to legislate common sense, is the very second we lost some more freedoms.

A biker or motorist can say it's their body and they'll do what they like with it. The opposing view is from the emergency services who potentially have to use valuable time and resources shoveling up a carcass or having to remove victims from steering wheels. The seatbelt can save them the business of telling families someone's dead. It certainly frees up hospital beds and so on. Not wearing the seatbelt can therefore have profound effects on others. Gotta say I fricken HATE the beeps and whines when I haven't put my belt on. That's intrusive technology at its worst.

Emergency services gets paid to help people or scrape them off the sidewalk.

originally posted by: DBCowboy

Emergency services gets paid to help people or scrape them off the sidewalk.

Cleaners get paid for cleaning so let's throw our # on the streets and floors of stores

originally posted by: Kandinsky
originally posted by: DBCowboy

Emergency services gets paid to help people or scrape them off the sidewalk.

Cleaners get paid for cleaning so let's throw our # on the streets and floors of stores

Can't do that.

It's against the law.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Can't the same argument be made, on a longer term basis, for smoking, drinking alcohol or soda, eating fatty foods? No one can doubt that wearing a seat belt is better for you and you have to be a moron not to wear one. However, making it a finable offense is quite different to me. Just because something benefits us and/or society does not mean it should be a law.