Exhibit A would be religious conservatives who believe that their religion should dictate every aspect of political as well as personal life, no matter what the damage to individuals.

You want to talk about ‘the “liberty” to do whatever you want no matter what the damage’? Does the NRA consider that liberty separate from political liberty?

Does big business distinguish between political liberty and ‘the “liberty” to do whatever you want no matter what the damage’? Do they spend billions on lobbyists to maintain a firewall between that liberty and political liberty? Wanna buy a bridge?

What an absurd assertion, TB.

Or anarchy.

-Here’s- a list of nations in order of economic and political liberty.

-Here’s- another one in order of population density.

See much correlation? I don’t.

There are, of course, resource and energy issues, but free minds will answer those questions a lot better than regimented ones.

I have read so much science fiction and stories of dystopian futures I tend to think that our best minds must decide what is good for us and make it so.

Liberty is such a vague concept.

We have been having nearly daily visit from a mentally deficient prowler who will come on to our front porch to steal small items. He has stolen several items including an expensive bicycle and some inexpensive yard tools.

We have reported this to the police on various occasions for a couple of years and they have picked him up and released him several times. Other neighbors have done the same.

This guy is free (most of the time)to roam and do mischief while I am told by the Cops that I can’t shoot the guy on my own property without risking arrest and trial. Not that I would shoot the guy but you know what I mean.

The bottom line is, in today’s America liberty is mostly smoke and mirrors. Privacy is pure illusion and while we smugly think we have liberty, try demonstrating that liberty when it involves the proximity of another person.

As Robert quoted our freedom to swing our arms ends where another person’s nose begins. Consequently it is easy to visualize that in a growing population our liberty is shrinking geometrically.

Our country and our freedom was founded and thrived on 40 acres and a mule. That worked extremely well but we can’t return.

Government and liberty has become a quantum problem and it will take quantum thinking to preserve it. We can only hope that our grandchildren will solve it.

The terminology is being slowly destroyed over time. An amazing number of people think “freedom” means forcing other people to take care of your needs so you can do what you like.

I explained exactly why our government isn’t working in recent times. The method of government has changed, the heirarchy has changed, and above all, the function has changed.

Ironically, the idea of limited government subservient to its citizens is the radical concept. The “innovative” concept.

The idea of a centralized authority controlling all our lives and wealth is thousands of years old. Dress up dictatorship in any lipstick you like. It will still oink.

What ideas do you have?

Want to go back and review “Pick the Group?” Those ideas got a big thumbs-up from ER, so we know where he stands. How about you?

I am but one voice in a plethora of opinions.

My truth is naked.

You don’t have that liberty when you live around people, even under conditions that aren’t that crowded. If there’s a realistic chance your bullet will hit somebody or somebody’s property, you can kiss that liberty goodbye. And say hello to a jail cell if you disagree.

Freedom has always been bounded by the rights of other people. Only a sociopath would maintain that there’s such a thing as absolute liberty. As the world gets more crowded, your “locus of absolute freedom” necessarily shrinks as it’s pressed in on all sides by everybody else’s liberty.

If we need to adjust our response to reality to hang on to liberty, we sure as hell should do so. Demanding that reality stop changing and return to what worked for us in a bygone era is simply foolish. As Frank points out, a solution that was brilliant two centuries ago isn’t working so well in the early 21st century, and if we don’t adjust how our government works, we’ll surely lose our liberty and everything else.