freedom

     One of the broadcast TV stations is showing reruns of old police dramas from the 1960's and 1970's. One of the interesting things about the shows is the philosophy the criminals expound in some of the episodes. It's the old hippie "freedom" idea, and sometimes they get into an argument with the police over it. They are sure that everyone ought to be able to do anything, with no limits or restrictions. In the name of "enlightenment", they propound a philosophy that wouldn't seem sensible to a pre-schooler. What happens to everyone doing whatever they want when you don't want them to do it? Where does your freedom go then?
    Take a simple case for an example--your neighbors are blasting the stereo all night. You want to sleep. Your neighbor's insistence on the right to blast the stereo at top volume is interfering with your right to sleep. Then what happens?

in the name of freedom

     Too many young people--one would be too many--have a very strange concept of freedom--particularly freedom of expression, but the attitude covers more than one kind of "freedom". For example, some of these young people have learned that it is unacceptable to use government property for a religious display. So far, so good. But some have decided that this means that all religious displays are "bad", and that no one may put one on the front lawn. This is a new, and growing concept of "freedom" that we all need to notice when we see it. The new intolerance is clothed in robes of righteousness.