Ravenwood's Universe: Police steal 500-1000 guns from a man in Jamestown, New York. Why? Because he had a lot of guns, and didn't have permission to own... 8 of them.
My own home town: A friend from church was telling my dad and I about his trouble getting the home inspector to let him live in his own house. Apparently he wanted him to put up a hand-rail on the steps to the front porch. Never mind that there was already a brick wall on either side that you could steady your hand on. No, that's not sufficiently "grippable." Also: there was a door that the inspector wasn't happy with. The homeowner's solutions: Slap a piece of plywood up over the door and a discarded 2x4 onto the brick wall until the inspector leaves.
Question: Why does the state get to say that you can't live in the home you just built on your own property? Never forget the meaning of real estate: The word "real" is of Spanish origin, pronounced with two syllables, "re-al," meaning royal. It's "royal estate," owned by the government, not by you. You are at best renting the land from the government, in their eyes. And they'll take it from you if they want it. (See also: Eminent Domain)
More than just owning your land, they own you. They demand that you be educated by their standards, pay whatever portion of your income they deem fit, confine your non-approved speech to Free Speech Zones, give up your non-approved property to the police (whether guns or drugs), and hide your religious beliefs when at their schools. And so on.
And that's just during peacetime. Watch out if we ever get into a deep, entrenched war and we have to call up a draft, wherein you'll be called to (potentially) give up your life for a cause you may or may not believe in.
So, where is this "land of the free"?
(First example via: the Carnival of the Vanities, #99 )
Posted by Blog Jones at August 11, 2004 02:54 PM
| Category: Politics
