Happy July 4th, America, BUT-- are you really FREE ?

"Those who flee oppression oft' flee to oppression of their own"  should come to mind as  America celebrates Independence Day .

Happy July 4th to all of our American friends! 

It may be time for celebration, but it is also time for thoughtful  reflection.   How and why  was America built?   Everybody knows that America the Beautiful was founded by people seeking Independence;  people fleeing oppression from  European political systems,  repressive taxation, stifling political dogma characterized by an agenda driven by monarchies and the self-entitled,  the rich, the devious,  and the corrupt.

It is little  surprise that American leaders, movers and shakers,  the self-entitled, the Power, the glorious rich  and the deviously corrupt  are building the same empires  in the  "new world",  the "thirteen struggling Colonies" now come the most powerful nation in the world.   As they do so, the subtle, at times blatant removal of  rights from individuals is always  justified by those doing so  with the "best of intentions".
Since  9/11  one of the issues seemingly becoming more prevalent  and a bone of contention  is that  rights and freedoms have been reduced under the guise of "security" and protection" .
 
The growing spectre of  leadership paranoia is displayed with increasing levels of surveillance,  paranoia expressed loudly with "Eye in the sky",  street cams,  and  the use of electronic  technology capable of monitoring hundreds of millions of electronic transmissions simultaneously.  Millions of telephone calls can be monitored without law, without permission, and without  reason;  the whereabouts of   anyone  on earth can literally be determined with  electronic monitoring,  face-identification technology and Google Earth.   If no "boogie-man" exists, create one.  Any excuse to garner power.

The far-reaching tentacles of  paranoia extend  even to  individual key-strokes  carefully applied on  keyboards;   senior citizens  exploring the world and sending Email to their grandchildren at the blazing rate of 15 words per minute are worthy of watching. 
Are such evil keystrokes  perceived to be  a serious  threat to the official status quo of the rich and powerful and their dogma of corrupt power and  corporate greed?  Let's  figure that one out somehow, because I think it approaches the realm of the sublime.


What does this trend say about "freedom" in North America?  The noose is tightening on the expression of freedom world-wide.    There is no place left to run to.  NO place remains on earth that one may flee to in a bid to escape  oppression.
  
Should the population of the United States of America remain silent  as babies and grandmothers alike are "patted down" in airports ?  Should the population of ANY  country remain apathetic and silent  until all backs are against the wall and there is nothing left available BUT to fight savagely with  tooth and nail ?

At the infamous  G20 Summit in Canada,  demonstrators were "kettled",--- meaning locked up en masse and detained without cause, without  being charged with any crime, -- simply because the "Riot-equipped"  police force present COULD use that UGLY  method to inspire FEAR in the hearts of demonstrators,  trouble-inciters  and innocent  alike.  

The message was  "We can take away your freedom arbitrarily, if WE decide to do so".   

Is that process acceptable?  NO.  It is a direct affront on the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens. It is government gone mad, far exceeding any  mandate to govern. 
  What has "civilization" in North America become ?   A police state?  Riot police willfully doing as they wish simply because the "government" allows, even encourages them to do so?  Shall we control the masses with fear?  What is YOUR government doing?  
     
Excuse us,  but freedom-loving people  have no intention of accepting  that kind of arbitrary  treatment with silence or open arms;  thinking people will not accept any arbitrary reduction of rights and freedoms or abuse of power.

At Incoming Bytes  we encourage freedom-loving people everywhere  to be aware of the direction your leadership is taking and speak up.   Freedom  is under attack --and there is no longer any place to run.  Apathy is not an option.  Think about it as you celebrate your Happy Independence Day !

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Happy Canada Day --Time to Re-think Freedom. You too, America!

It's July 1st  2011  and   "Will and Kate" , Prince William and Kate Middleton are wowing the crowds in Ottawa for Canada Day celebrations.  Isn't that great?   Canadians are enjoying the "historic relationship of the Mother country England --by honoring the newest and most popular royals, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, -- that are merely  "Will and Kate" to happy Canadians on this sunny day.  

What does that acknowledgment of royalty really  mean?   Only 145 years ago, Canada became 'Independent' and free of Great Britain's colonial rule.  Are we "free" ?  

It is time to rethink what freedom really is. It's not 1867  any  more, that is a given, but freedom is more than a royal signature on dusty old documents.

"I live, therefore I must be free or die." Passionate, serious words that challenge the concept of freedom within an ordinary, normal society, but where does true freedom really begin and end?

What must one be allowed to do to be considered free? " (more)

Canadians, in fact all North Americans,  need to think for themselves and examine the shaky ground we stand upon.  One only had to watch the G20 security summit disaster to recognize how close to a police state we appear to be.  Is democracy real freedom when  authoritarian rules are arbitrarily inflicted upon a civilized population?   Let's totally  ignore the rabble and trouble-making element for a moment.  Does a demonstrating,  civilized population need to be threatened and controlled by robotic, heavily-armed,  riot-equipped police?  At Incoming Bytes  we think not.  

Clearly troublemakers should be identified and held accountable for their actions and the damage they do, but is it necessary to threaten average teenagers, average adults, and average Canadians who choose to express their opinion?  Freedom of speech comes to mind.  

     When we have studied, compared, and discerned our actual status within reality,  stripping  away the imaginary "freedoms" we are "allowed" by government and bureaucracy  that has  totally forgotten what the real  mandate of government IS,  what is really left?  

Perhaps Canadians are not the worst off in the world comparatively, but could real freedom make our lives so much better?  

Americans in the United States  will celebrate their July4th  holiday with equal gusto,  but they are suffering reduction of freedoms under the guise of the 'war on terrorism'. They, too, have riot-equipped police forces.  Go figure.  They look just like ours.  Imagine that.  

 

How far does legislation and government  go before "freedom" is no longer?  Why is there so much  awkward silence about real freedom, just as there is unnatural, official silence about the spate of  disasters and the potentially mind-boggling, civilization-changing effects of them?   

It seems that "Will and Kate" are more important today .   That's fine.   Really.  Happy Canada Day --but we continue to  encourage all North Americans to think for themselves --before it is to late to do so.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.