Freedom in America: Who Cares?

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A political leader recently stated that his party was “based on freedom” (with emphasis), and his audience clapped and cheered. Virtually every political party in American history would no doubt say it too was devoted to freedom, but this speaker – and, alas, also his adoring audience – seemed to believe that this statement was both clear and deeply meaningful.

Statements are clear and meaningful, however, only if they answer clear and meaningful questions. Saying that one is committed to freedom, while it sometimes pleases a crowd, does not answer questions; the key questions are in fact raised by such a claim.

Every sane and responsible leader – including this speaker, I am sure – acknowledges that people are not and must not consider themselves free to do anything they want. Are you free to sock your boss when he takes credit for an achievement for which you alone are responsible? Are you free to take that laptop left on a table in a Wi-fi café while the owner is getting another cup of coffee? Are you free to incite violence? To drive through a stop sign? To make lewd advances to a child? To deny a woman the health care she wants and deserves by law? To walk around naked in public? To give poisoned candy to trick-or-treaters? To burn down a church preaching a doctrine you don’t like? To lie on your income tax return? Are you free to break a law because you do not think it should have been passed?

Perhaps no one would say that his political party is based on such preposterous “freedoms” as these. And no one even in the audience who wildly cheered thought this speaker was referring to limitless freedom, irresponsible and anti-social freedom harming or endangering others or others’ property. But what did they think was being referred to?

The key question they should have been thinking about – although at that moment they may not have been in a thoughtful frame of mind – is, Freedom from what?

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The American leaders who have preceded us, regardless of party, have all maintained – in deed if not in words – that the freedoms  to which all of us are entitled include:

1. Freedom from fear


2. Freedom from want


3. Freedom from intolerance


4. Freedom from violence, force, and intimidation


5. Freedom from injustice

and

6. Freedom from the cruel bondage of unequal opportunity.

We do not have to fear that we will be arrested for no reason, separated from our families, and taken to work camps or death camps. We don’t have to fear that our property may be damaged or stolen without serious consequences to the vandal or the thief. We don’t have to fear that we will be abused because of the position we take on a public issue. As much as is allowed by life itself, with all its inherent uncertainties, we may live free from fear.

Our “unalienable rights” include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Life is threatened by hunger, homelessness, lack of adequate clothing, or lack of necessary health care. None of us should have to fear extreme want – or poverty – to such an extent that our very lives are threatened. That is one of our basic rights in this country, promised by the Declaration of Independence, guaranteed by the Constitution, and bolstered by generations of law-makers and judges.

We are free to worship as we please, or not to worship at all; we do not have to fear religious intolerance. We are protected from discrimination against us based on race or gender. We will not be punished because we support the losing party in an election or a controversial point of view in a public debate. We will not be assaulted or spat upon because of the color of our skin, at least not with impunity. Our Constitution and our laws free us from intolerance – whether racial, political, or religious.

We will not be forced to work in somebody else’s fields for little or no pay. No one may use force to prevent us from doing anything, at least anything that is not against the law. We may legitimately expect to be protected from violence by those who disagree with our moral values, so long as our values do not put others at risk and are not contrary to law, or by those who want us to change our opinions on a matter of public debate, or by those who want us to vote for a candidate whom we do not support. We will be free of threats of harm if we do not conform, except to civil law, free from intimidation. We are free to think for ourselves.

We will not be imprisoned without a fair and public trial. Someone who owes us money will not be permitted to simply walk away from the debt. We will not do the work for which we are hired only to see our employers successfully avoid paying us our due wages. Laws will be applied equally to us and to those poorer than we and to those richer and more politically well-connected. All that would be unjust, and we in our country will live free from such injustice.

That final natural right cited in our Declaration of Independence, “the pursuit of happiness,” would be violated if we were denied the schooling needed to get a decent job because we are poor and powerless, or if we were denied the opportunity to compete on equal terms with others of different races or religions or gender. We would not have the right to pursue happiness if our socio-economic status prevented us from being able to compete fairly with others more fortunate than we, or if our own businesses were not able to compete with big corporations because anti-trust laws are not enforced, or because prices are fixed among our competitors, or because suppliers collude with the big businesses to deny us what we need in order to complete fairly. Our national values protect us from unequal opportunity, and in so doing make us free.

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A political party based on these six freedoms – from fear, want, force and violence, injustice, and unequal opportunity – and that actively, proudly, and aggressively pursues them would be one we could enthusiastically support.

Yet, somehow, I am inclined to think that the actions of the party referred to in the recent speech are not in fact founded on principles of freedom as I understand it, or at least not on freedom for all.


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