Freedom’s Last Ring
Freedom’s Last Ring
by
James E. Smith
09/12/2001
From a Newsweek story on MSNBC:
“Security will require another type of sacrifice of freedoms. In the NEWSWEEK Poll, voters say they are willing to give up privacy in air travel, but they are more skeptical of other measures, such as surveillance of e-mail and phone conversations. By a 62-32 percent margin, they reject “special surveillance” of Arab-Americans. Yet even before last week’s attacks, the Senate intelligence committee had voted extra funds for Internet surveillance and “profiling” measures, and agitation for more is sure to mount.” (Emphasis Mine)
“Governments need enemies to justify their existence.” — Edward Abbey: The Monkey Wrench Gang
“Those who trade liberty for security will soon have neither.”– Benjamin Franklin
The most devastating effect (“impact” for those of you dedicated to the dumbing down of America) of this tragedy will be that the government will use this as an excuse to remove the last vestige of privacy and freedom from America. You may expect continual surveillance of personal movement. All travel, especially air travel, between regions or even states will be regulated and tracked. There will be a day when passports and permits will be required for internal movement in the US. “Ve must see your papers”
Before the fall of the Soviet Union, I stated that, in terms of freedom, they were becoming more like us and we more like them. Someday we would meet in the middle and cross. I did not expect it to be this soon.
The really terrible part about this is that it is unnecessary. It is all the result of our insatiable appetite for oil. Consider what we have spent to guarantee the constant flow of “black gold”. How much to support or suborn various countries in the region? How many lives have been sacrificed for this? How many more dollars/lives will we spend?
What if we had expended the same effort in resources and time to find and develop a substitute for oil as a fuel to move cars, boats and planes? There are many other demands for petroleum, of course. Almost everything we use, from paint to plastics is based in part on oil. Even so, by eliminating it as a fuel, the demand would be so much less that people would not have to die to ensure the supply.
Sure, the oil barons in this country and others would suffer. Many might have to trade their Mercedes for Buicks and their Lears for Cessnas. For one, that’s a sacrifice I would be willing to make. How about you, Mr. President?
Brazil Brat 2 Blog 
Just as the universe has a natural inclination towards disorder, governments have a natural inclination to totalitarianism and paranoia. They’ll never stop trying to assert absolute control over the lives of their citizens. When that’s accomplished, those in the inner party will then turn their paranoia towards each other until the whole thing implodes, at which point people just start the same process over again.
Thanks for the thought. You are right, what government has ever discarded power when, by whatever means, they have taken it?
James, i was just reading a comment you wrote about another blog post, and you quoted your father about a saying he had ” Figures don’t lie, but liars can figure”. He must of been a smart man, and well read with a great sense of humor. He reminded of my grandfather who use to say the same quotes to me as a child. Thanks for the memory.
Shawn, I have reason to believe that was a very common saying then and now. I first heard it from my father, but have heard it many times since then.
Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.
The purpose of (those in) the government is to control you and tax you. It’s as simple as that and it has always been like that. They use intimidation and manipulation like nationalism, religion and scaremongering to achieve that. Even if someone entered politics for unselfish reasons, they will change once in power because as we know – power corrupts. There is no solution to this but we can reduce the damage by reducing the size and powers of the government. This obviously is easier said than done because those in power fought hard to be in that position, are good at intimidating and manipulating and are prepared to go further to keep themselves in power than most people are to remove them from the same.
John, thank you for your post. I agree both with your premise and the difficulty of changing it.
I like your derision of the word, ‘impact’. I can remember it coming into vogue in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Unfortunately, it’s our usage of words that define their meanings. Dictionary lexicographers merely record ‘accepted usage’ of words. It’s too late to stave off acceptance of this new usage for the word, ‘impact’. Even newspapers use it now.
I remember it, too. I also agree about it becoming common usage. I thinking is, robbery, rape, and murder are common, too. That doesn’t make them right. But even places like the BBC are using “impact” incorrectly. It seems that true journalism is mostly dead. I see other, far more egregious errors, in the BBC and other major media pages. Apparently, editing or even proof-reading is a lost art, too.
Thanks for your comment, though. It’s always nice to see someone alert enough to catch the subtleties and appreciate them.
James you are so wrong; Religion can be given credit for the University, Musical Notes, Various Arts to include concertos and paintings, modern science look up Genetics and you’ll see Gregor Mendel an Monk, heck the Big Bang is a theory given to us by a Catholic Priest/Physicist, let’s look at Architecture, the list is massive. Also Western Civilization was saved by Christianity by buffering Europe from Islam, which allows you today to be an anti-Christian bigot and troll. I could easily say that Mao, Hitler and Stalin and various other anti-religious people doomed their society and offered little, I hope you’re left speechless by me pointing out that extremists like that and yourself are dangerous. You are an extremist. Religion can be a muse for scientists and artists, so as an “intellectual” you have to accept that.
First of all, what does this have to do with Freedom’s Last Ring? Or are you just choosing a place at random for your rant?
I am not wrong. Are you saying that none of those things would have happened without religion? That’s ludicrous thinking.
You also bring up the old lie about Mao, Hitler, and Stalin. They were nothing more than ruthless dictators acting to protect their power. Their religious views had nothing to do with it. Ratzinger used his power as a cardinal and pope to protect child molesters. Are you saying his religious views had nothing to do with that?
I am not an anti-christian bigot. I simply tell the truth. I am left nearly speechless by how stupid your comments are. What is dangerous is your voluntary ignorance and determined stupidity. Religion has been the curse of humanity because it promotes ignorance such as yours.
You, like most theists, make accusations and ludicrous statements without the least attempt at proving anything you say is even remotely possible, much less true.
You are a danger to the world because you promote ignorance and stubborn stupidity over reality and verifiable evidence. You have to accept that, but you won’t because you prefer myths instead of the truth.
http://www.management-issues.com/2008/10/31/opinion/do-you-always-need-to-be-right.asp
No, I do not always have to be right. That’s why I so often invite people to prove I am wrong. That’s how we learn and grow. You instead, like to hide behind a fake ID and temp email so you can make insulting posts and then hide. That’s intellectual and ethical cowardice at its worst.
Here’s the prof you used a fake email:
This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.
A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error.
jimmy234@yahoo.com Error, ERROR_CODE :554, ERROR_CODE :delivery error: dd Sorry your message to jimmy234@yahoo.com cannot be delivered. This account has been disabled or discontinued [#102]. – mta1006.mail.bf1.yahoo.com
You sir, are a coward, a liar, and a fool if you think anyone is fooled by your craven actions. Keep hiding and using your phony IDs. All you are doing is showing your worst side and demonstrating that what I say about you is true.
This is the ramblings of a mad man, the kind of thing you read in a psychopath’s diary before he goes on a rampage then turns the gun on himself.
This is the posting of a deeply stupid person that never gives a second’s thought to anything. Especially if something could actually be true.
Prove that anything in this essay is not true. Things have moved even faster than I anticipated. Or do you think a government that spies on millions of its own people is just fine. Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and other totalitarian regimes would love you.
“If freedom means anythng at all, it is the liberty to tell others what they do not want to hear.”
Irony is an internet douche nozzle troll with this at the head of his stupid blog telling others they are hateful and offensive for saying “God bless you.” LMMFAO!
As always with these craven little cowards, this person used a fake ID and a fake email. He hides because he is too ashamed of what he writes and too afraid to be honest as I am.
Then he posts a hateful message while trying to pretend he is a “good christian.” Talk about irony!
“Then he posts a hateful message while trying tom pretend he is a “good christian.” Talk about irony!”
You divined all that from my post. WOW! dude, you can like totally read minds. You’re right. I’m coming out of the closet. My name is Biff Wellington. I live in NYC, and like you I think godless, mean-spirited atheismis solely responsible for all the lollipop and cotton candy good things that govt brings.
Yes, your post made those things evident as did your fake email (nunya.muthafuckin.bidnaz@fuckyou.com)
OK Biff Wellington, if that’s really your name. You’re still hiding, though. I don’t blame you. You would certainly never want to be responsible personally for your despicable comments.
I do not think atheism is responsible for anything in government. FYI, there is exactly one openly atheist person in a national elected office. How much influence do you think that brings to government?
It’s the mean-spirited Rethugnicans who are making the nation shudder. Imagine a Democrat saying “It’s more important for the President to fail than for America to succeed.”
The howls of outrage would be hear around the world. Yet, when Rush Limbaugh says it, he is praised by the right wingnuts he has for fans.
Hi madam slrman, I’d really like to hear your thoughts on the Founders and how they felt that spiritual faith should be an integral part of the lives of American citizens to maintain that freedom.
The founding fathers did not endorse spiritual faith. That’s a lie. Why do you think they wrote the separation of church and state into the Constitution?
You reveal a lot about yourself with the use of the juvenile term, “Madam” to what is obviously a male.
I’d really like to hear why you think yourself to be a decent, rational person while using an obscene fake email. (nunya.muthafuckin.bidnaz@fuckyou.com) If someone told you that you are a decent, honest, rational person, be aware that they will probably lie to you about other things, too.
Yikes dude, you’re NOT popular. You must’ve been spreading hate somewhere to pull all these people to your stupid lil blog.
I tell the truth. Many people, like yourself, hate that. Truth rarely supports your favorite delusions.
You, my friend, are the coward. I’ve seen your Disqus posts. NOT COOL.
Tell me, how am I a coward? Because I tell the truth? Because I do not hide behind a fake ID and post insults that are untrue and would never dare say to someone’s face? Or is it because I invite people to travel anywhere in the world, at my expense, to repeat their slanderous lies to my face?
Please answer the questions and do not slither away as the real cowards do when they cannot rationally reply to facts.
Or perhaps it’s simply because you do not like any of these things, especially the truth. Many people despise the truth and those that speak it because, as I said above, truth never supports your favorite delusions.
Baldly written tin-hat paranoia this is. I need a ticket to Brazil to face an old man for being a total pr1ck
Badly made criticism by the coward of the world. Send your information and I’ll buy you that ticket. Then you will have to either apologize and retract your lies or have your life changed forever. Put up or shut up time, your frightened bedbug.
Paranoia? Tell me, shit for brains, exactly what in it is not true? Oops, awkward moment for someone that despises the truth and those that tell it.
By the way, it’s spelled “clever”, you ignorant, obnoxious fool. You can’t even make up your fake ID and email correctly. Yes, you’re a deliberately obnoxious loser, liar, and coward.
Send it but I want written confirmation that will not try to touch my anus.
You stupid dingbat. Do you think I don’t know your intention is to steal the money by turning in the ticket or using it for a different trip?
Not everyone is abysmally dumb as you are.
I have done this before and here’s how it works.
You send me your information necessary for an international flight. That means your real name, address, telephone, and passport number. Your passport will have to have a Brazilian visa. You have to get that yourself, no one else can do it for you.
Then I will purchase an electronic ticket that you cannt refund or exchange for a different trip. In addition, I purchase insurance here that refunds me in case you do not show up at the final destination.
Insurance companies being what they are, they will recover their losses by suing you for non-performance. The insurance is like a performance bond. (you may need to look that up)
Too bad for you that I am not as gullible as you hoped. Now, you can reach me on Yahoo Messenger at slrman420 or send it directly to here, whatever suits you the best.
Until you send me your information, anything you post here will be deleted, as I said. I don’t mind you getting a little thrill from you mental masochism by exposing your failings here, but there is a limit t what I am willing to do.
I am more clever than “ClevarChris” who cannot even use a spell checker. LMAO at the moron of the month.
ClevarChris exposed you as a theif for steeled from Christians! He has handed you ass on plate.
Yep, as I suspected. You are not-so clever Chris using another fake ID. Chris, it’s “stealing” not “steeled” and “thief”not “theif”. If you can’t learn to use a spell checker, you’d be better off not posting.
You’ll do nothing like “hand me my ass on a plate”. All you have done is show what a stupid PoS you are. Any future comments from you or any other of your fake IDs will be deleted.
You’ve ignored my offer to fly you here as soon as yu found out I was way ahead of you on that. Just ignore it and pretend you never said you wanted to come. That’s probably the only smart thing you have done in your life.
The form below says the email address will never be made public yet you are happy to publish it. How do you deal with being a such a liar?
In San Fran, home of Silicon Valley, you and your ilk would be outed.
I know you are “Dean” posting under the usual fake IDs. The emails are all fake, too. So until you accept my offer to pay your way anywhere n the world to face me personally, all of your poss are like you, trash!
Afraid you have actually had your ass handed to you on a plate. It’s true. And that’s a FACT!
Really Dean? Yes, I know it’s you. Don’t forget, I’ve offered to pay your way anywhere in the world to do exactly that, follow through on your pathetic threats. Until you accept, your posts are trashed just as you are trash.
By my calculations, this is a badly edited and heavily plagiarized piece of nonsense with racist and antisemitic overtones. It seems the author does not cope well with constructive criticism, so those of us hoping for a redraft may be waiting some time!
Oh goody, it’s Dean; the cowardly plagiarizing, lying, fool.
By my calculations, you are still hiding behind fake IDs to post your insults that you would ever dare say to my face.
What racist overtones? Prove anything you have said is true. Or, you can accept one of my many offers to pay your way anywhere in the world to face me personally. If you were not such a miserable cowardly worm, you would have done that.
Any of your posts under any of your fake IDs will be instantly deleted until you accept that offer.
Is there still a reward for information about Dean Fiddle? I know where he can be found.
Dean, you are so abysmally dumb. You think I don’t know this is you? BTW, the reward is $1,000.00. I know that’s more money than you have seen at one time in your entire life, but it’s what it’s worth to me to be able to face you whether you like it or not.
Dean, you’re a liar and not a very good one at that. I’d think anyone that lies as much as you do (constantly) would be better at it. But you — noooooo.
As always, your fake ID and emails with your miserable writing ability give you away.
No more posts from you will appear. I’ve allowed you to indulge your mental masochism enough. Get your cheap thrills elsewhere.
You are a liar, hiding behind a fake ID and email.
Dean, you’ll have to do far better than that. Not everyone is as stupid as you are.
I repeat, you are a very poor liar. You are now banned, moron.
No, you are banned. Good riddance and good night. I do know where he is though
You stupid “limpin’ lump of brick dust”. How am I banned from my own site? You are as dumb as a doorknob. You use ludicrous fake IDs and emails. If you really were not Dean and you actually had something not abysmally ignorant to offer, you’d use a genuine ID and email.
Follow the biblical imperative to “Go forth and multiply thyself.” (Brother Dave Gardner, 1965)
I am sick of talking with you now, that’s why you are banned. I am not Dean, I have no interest in sharing my email or any other details with you but, I do know who Dean is.
You dumb ass, you cannot ban me from my own account. Yes you are Dean, no one else is that astoundingly stupid.
Now. crawl back to your septic tank and STFU.
Yes, he is me, Dean. I am still obsessed with you. I am a stalker and seek you out on the world wide web to spread lies about you and use false identities, pretending that they are all not me. Imagine what kind of an impression I are creating of myself in the minds of others! I do get a cheap thrill from exposing my mental and ethical failings to the world. I love to think of the utterances they have made under their breath about me.
Having communicated with you in the past, I am well aware of the fact that I both fear and admire you in equal measures; I am so obsessed with you I can’t help myself. I am aware that you are an attractive man and I am hopelessly attracted to you. I think the core reason is that this is a part of me I fear and hate. I know that you are an educated and intelligent man so I will admit to you: I wish I were you, I want to be you.
I am making a fool of myself but I enjoy it, as I said. I am the liar, stalker, slanderer, coward, troll, fool, and a spreader of lies and stupidity (and probably disease). One day I hope I wake up to myself and stop hiding behind the internet and get some fresh air.
Dean, you’re still a stalker, troll, plagiarist, slanderer, liar, coward, and fool.
Accept my offer to meet, at my expense anywhere in the world. I will help you cure your psychosis and your pathological prevarication.
See, you use the terms for exactly what you are as you copied the from me. Yes, you are a plagiarist. Tell me, how am I hiding when I do not use a fake name, email, or tell blatant lies about who and what I am?
Match or accept my offer to meet and see how fast I accept.
What a pathetic PoS you are.
Match your offer to meet and see how fast you accept? Ok, I will. I will meet you in Hong Kong in the month of July; I will be there for professional reasons and would be delighted to meet you. However, I know full well you will not follow through with this; I am certain that even if you had the courage to meet me, you will not have the funds to get there. The uneducated, deluded, bald community are notoriously poor at traveling, especially if they have never held down a proper job. Let’s see what excuse you come up with.
Prove who you are and that you’ll be there. I will be delighted to face you personally. I know you will never do it because you are still hiding behind your fake ID and yet another fake email. You are also spoofing your IP address.
I see that you are still the liar, stalker, troll, plagiarist, coward and fool you have always been.
I am going to mark you as the spammer you are until you come clean, show some courage, and prove anything about yourself to be true.
Then we’ll meet. I promise you, I’ll enjoy that far more than you will. I will prove I am everything I say and you are s stinking cowardly fool.
If you think there is no record of the comment you have edited you are incorrect
Thanks for admitting you are really “Dean Fiddle”. Even though I already knew it. Dean, you are incredibly stupid. You use fake emails that can be checked instantly, fake IP addresses that are also quickly checked. You are using Tor to fake them. Do you think you are the first person to use it?
Just because you are so stupid, it doesn’t mean anyone else is. That’s called “projection”. That is, assigning your own failings upon others. It’s a common things for the psychologically disturbed. Thanks for always confirming that, too.
This conversation is pointless as you are editing my comments in the way a 10 year old might, rather than a bald 80 year old. If you want to arrange to meet in Hong Kong please email me at dean.fiddle@hotmail.com.
Oh my, editing your comments. When you do it to me and change them to reflect your evil, sick ends, it’s nice, clean fun, isn’t it?
When it’s done to you, it’s horrible, horrible, horrible. In addition to all the other things you are, add “hypocrite”. That will be a surprise to no one.
Also not surprising is your email dean.fiddle@hotmail.com is also fake. Is there anything about you that is not a lie?
Great article, James. It really is all about our, well the corporations and their influences, appetite for oil. But what do we do about it? How can we free ourselves from this? I’m not sure but a good investment in renewable energy would be a good start.
Thank you for your most complimentary comment. I’m not sure what we should do about it, either. For myself, I’ve lived in Brazil for over a decade. That will likely serve me well for a couple more decades, but it’s coming here, too.
As for the investment in renewable energy, I have to think that the 1% will have that under their control before it becomes a major item. Control is what drives the greed and unconcern for anything but that and wealth. Even if all petro-fuels were replaced tomorrow, that would be unlikely to change.
In Deutschland, we become free with National Socialism then find we US enslaved. Now we live as peaceful man and want no more US help. Jawohl !
Either you are being facetious, or you have forgotten the Gestapo and the SS?
As always, you cowards hide behind a fake email. karlheinz99@yahoo.de is a typical phony address.
So is your IP address.
I was enjoying reading this when I suddenly felt the need to curl one out. I was practically touching cloth I was! Anyway, after dropping the kids off, I finished this article and thought it was a rather good read. Thank you and well done.
Thanks for your comment. It made me smile and that’s always a nice way to start your day.
Why you leave post saying you good and better than everyone?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household-bills/10886822/Orange-billed-me-1477-for-48-worth-of-data.html
You not better than everyone. Be a adult.
Where did I do that? The link you included is a page where I have never been.
Obviously English is not your first language, so you get a free pass on the errors.
It is not my fault that you seem to be rather delusional.
You are mostly incoherent, wrong, and ignorant.
You said it I see you not nice man you should delete it. Be a adult.
You are a cowardly fool. You hide behind a false ID and email and refuse to even acknowledge my legitimate questions.
You should delete yourself and improve the average IQ and ethical standards of the human race.
Be a fool, see if anyone cares. You are forever deleted from here until you behave like a responsible adult and reply to fair questions. Until then, stop wasting your time and mine.
It’s sad that due to flouride and other toxins the mental capacity of society has decreased exponentially during the past decades. If the bulk of society were able to compute what was going on it would be 1776 all over again.