Living in America can be a wonderful thing. We have many freedoms here that much of the world doesn’t have, and in some cases, they don’t want or like. Of course we have a competent law enforcement establishment, something I’m very thankful for, and things like the IRS that you have to answer to. But for the most part it is assumed that I can live my life the way I choose to, and be left alone so long as my actions aren’t infringing on the rights of others. And I think you’ll find that if you are a law abiding citizen who doesn’t bother other people, you will be left alone to live your life the best way you know how.
However, the recent terrorist attack in France reminds us what the famed cliché actually tells us, that freedom is indeed not free. It wasn’t originally handed over to us by the British, it was fought and died for and once in a while there is a group that challenge’s those freedoms that we have come to take for granted. But last week’s attacks are a very stark reminder that not everyone in the world feels the same about our rights as we do. And sometimes something like this happens with the bad guys hoping that they can force us into submission and use violence and threats to scare us into giving up our rights. I was very inspired by the French response, as I was the day after September 11, 2001, when the people went back outside to say we’re not afraid, and moreover, we are not going to abandon our rights to free speech and freedom of expression no matter what cowardly things you try next. It’s an awesome thing to see in the face of such tragedy.
It is very easy for a person to say that what they are doing is within their Constitutional rights when there is no resistance, but once in a while a credible threat to our fundamental rights presents itself and then we learn if the outspoken people about using their rights will truly fight for them when they are under attack. I have heard some news stories of public figures making comments to the effect of the victim’s in these attacks caused their own deaths. That what they were doing and saying is ultimately what caused their deaths, and furthermore, that they should have toned down so not to offend anyone. I think that is a stupid response and a spineless way to live your life. We have these rights for a reason, and we protect these rights because of their importance. The beauty of freedom of speech and freedom of expression is that anyone can say or print whatever they like so long as it’s not in violation of any laws. They don’t need to seek permission for what they write, and it doesn’t even matter if anyone agrees with it or not. But I would rather live in a world where that is allowed than a world where everything has to be filtered. I spent my time in the Army in a country that doesn’t have the same rights that we have, and I would have to agree with famous American Patrick Henry when he said in one of many meetings leading to the Revolutionary War, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”
I choose to place liberty ahead of personal safety. I place a lot of value on being able to live my life the way I choose and not be beholden to another. Mostly for me because I have seen what a society of very little freedom looks like, and it is not something that I want to be a part of. What is the point of living if you have to live under someone else’s thumb and be afraid of what might happen? That inevitably means that tragedies like the one in Paris are going to happen from time to time. If nothing else, it will remind us of the costs that are associated with living in a free society in a world where some want to take that away from you. And when our basic freedoms are under attack we are forced to fight back against those that try to take it.