The Keys to Freedom

 Americans, whether born here or naturalized citizens, all enjoy the freedoms our country has to offer.  The Declaration of Independence states:   "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."   This is freedom folks and in this week's blog, I'd like to explore the basic tenets of freedom.  

The first time I traveled overseas was in 1981.  My dad and I visited the UK for a week, staying in London.  We took a couple of tours, one was a tour of Parliament.  We stood in a long line and were required to walk through metal detectors.  I kept setting the darn thing off, as the snaps on my down jacket were metal.  I'd never seen a metal detector before.  In 1981, airports in the United States were not requiring metal checks.  In those days, the IRA was still a terror threat in the UK and never before had I felt unsafe and unsure of my surroundings.  Dad and I did a lot of traveling on the underground and I remember feeling rather uncomfortable, as who knew who was lurking in the shadows.  The familiar feeling of freedom was not felt until we touched down at LAX and we saw the American flag.  

The feeling of freedom to move about in our country and the world was halted this year, "2020 The Year That Was."  I had a trip planned (as mentioned in previous blogs) to Europe.  Russia was on the agenda.  The Russians made us jump through hoops in order to travel to and within the country.  We had to apply for a visa and a "invitation" to visit Russia.  Exact travel dates were required and every hotel and airline wanted the travel visa number.  The Russian government was tracking us and this gave me another very odd feeling, the loss of freedom.  The trip of course never happened, nor did the Russians bother to reimburse me for the airline fees but I still have a feeling they still may be watching and tracking me.  No Russian hoax here folks but it's just a feeling, that's all.

Today, in the United States of America, we are starting to see and feel the loss of our basic freedoms and liberty.  This feeling is starting to creep in to our daily lives.  Ideas such as mandatory Covid testing, mandatory vaccines, mandatory wearing of masks, are all drifting us toward a loss of freedom and liberty.  We are losing our the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, right to assemble (unless you are burning down a city) or even the right go to church.  This is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.  Disarm a society, put fear in everyday activities and it's made weak, made ripe for a takeover. 

So, what can we Americans do to stop this takeover and keep the freedoms that we so enjoy?  Of course I have a few ideas and I hope my readers will feel free to make comments with more. 

1.  Stop being complacent and fight back.  I don't mean with violence; fight back with letters, emails and on social media if you're so inclined.  Remember, be respectful but make yourself heard.  When we lose the power to voice our opinions, the right to be heard will no longer exist.

2.  Stop being a "Sheeple."  A Sheeple is a person who acts like sheep, following blindly and doing whatever told to do.  The German people did that in 1932 and remember what  happened?  The Venezuelans did the same and that country is in shambles. 

3. As stated in previous blogs, open up the country and put people back to work!  We want to work, earn money, support our families and live our lives as we see fit. The capitalist system works, enjoy it.

4. Allow travel to commence without restriction.  I get wearing masks on airplanes.  Frankly I've been squeezed into a seat next to a completely unsuitable character, who's breath smelled like a cat box.  I would have given anything to have had that person wear a mask.  I've returned home from trips and a couple days later have come down with a cold or the flu. The stale air in planes breeds disease.  Just wear the mask as the flight attendant will be forced to report you to authorities and you will not be able to fly on that airline again (just ask my daughter).

5.  Now that I've touched on the subject of masks, let's explore a little further.  If a private business requires one to wear a mask and you want to shop there, wear the blasted thing or go elsewhere.  This is their right.  Wearing a mask should also be an individual right.  I hate wearing the @#$% thing but if I want to shop at Fred Meyer or sit in an airplane, I'll wear it.  If I'm driving in my car, sitting on my patio or taking a walk, the mask will not be on my face, I promise.  I don't wear it at the gym either or at the golf course.  It's not required and frankly, no one is catching the damn virus out in the sunshine.

6.  Social distancing is not that bad but it's getting out of hand.  People need people, children need to play with other children.  Walking in one way aisles in the store is stupid and no one following the arrows anyway.   I don't like "Close Talkers" either.  Stay your distance and we can chat just fine, especially if we're not wearing a mask.  

7. It's time to open our houses of worship. Open them, enjoy the freedom to worship God the way you chose and quit worrying.  The freedom to worship is a basic human right, enjoy it, fight for it and be thankful for it.

8. For goodness sake stop watching idiot talking heads on TV who are spewing someone else's propaganda.  I've never heard such insane dival in all my life as I have in the last 8 months.  I've mentioned this before and will mention it again, turn off the news, study correct sources and stop being a Sheeple.

Finally, freedom is a basic right in this country.  People are clamoring to enter the United States and enjoy what this country has to offer.  Enjoy it, don't abuse it; treasure it, don't take it for granted and be thankful.

May God continue to bless America.