Freedom from Liberty

Patriotism is defined as loving, and showing ardent support for one's country. I have never fully understood that mentality, but I think I catch a whiff of it when thinking of American history. Pining to break free from an unjust hierarchical system of power, placing wealth and control in the hands of descendants from William the Conqueror, for the sole reason that he—with God's help and blessing of course—inherited the island nation through brutal conquest. Battling the British for sovereignty, for the right of people to govern themselves and become masters of their destiny. I don't even need to resort to the American mythology Conservatives prefer to teach their children, about the altruistic founders leading their people towards freedom, without ever mentioning the gruesome treatment of innocents, or the fact they never intended to make an egalitarian society, to find elements of this story inspiring. Still, I'm not a flag-waver, I only see countries as imaginary lines people drew on maps because they couldn't agree on how to oppress their workforce. A cynical view, I know, but despite my jaundiced nature, I retain an eternal, paradoxical, optimism. Which goes into a heavy coma whenever I look at the American Right. Omnipresent US merchandise, flags as far as the eye can see, quotes from our past leaders on t-shirts and tattoos. Patriotism carried out to the extreme leads to nationalism; "America first" becomes the centerpiece of their presidential address. But what do they see as American? With all their talk of freedom, what kind of freedom do they really want? To answer, let's start with understanding the concept of freedom because I don't think they do. Freedom isn't difficult to understand as a concept—being free to act as one pleases without interference or reprimand—it becomes more arduous to discuss within the context of politics and society. There is no absolute freedom in a nation of laws, most of us agree on a list of unjust tragedies that mustn't befall anyone, such as murder or rape, therefor we punish and outlaw those egregious acts. But who makes these laws? Well-educated upper-class business people. The divide between the Republican Party and the Democrats shrinks on labor issues, it's why the Democratic Party managers submarined Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. However, both parties' affinity towards Wall Street goes largely unnoticed due to the massive cultural divide, created quite deliberately as a distraction from the unpopular neoliberal economic policies. Years of indoctrination, and demonizing of the poor, have ensured that people above them on the totem pole kick down, believing those less fortunate are to blame for their predicament. And the culture war has provided a stern, organized opposition movement to people who oppose the system we have now; a populace frightened of Socialists. McCarthyism at work. One result of convincing people that their neighbors are an imminent threat to their way of life is that they want to protect it, and legitimize it somehow. That desire has permeated the Republican Party, its progressive principles on which it was founded have fully rotted away, and these days the party is stocked with people who see different cultures and "lifestyles" as detrimental to democracy. Ironic does not come close to describing that particular absurdity. I would not blame anyone who observed Republicans these past years, and listened to talking points from the party's prominent panjandrums like Mitch McConnell, Ron DeSantis, Greg Abbott, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, to accuse them of trying to establish a theocracy. Throw in the right-wing commentators like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Candace Owens, and so on, and we end up with a consortium that is deeply committed to limiting freedom. So you'd expect the nationalists, who revere the republic's founders, to be the most strenuously opposed to the people bringing their version of Christianity into this nation's secular founded institutions. But the ideals of freedom and liberty that saturate their rhetoric seem to me to be little understood. They don't believe in freedom to, they believe in freedom from; Muslims, gay and trans people, and in some extreme cases even freedom from other races. Hate and fear of the other have clouded their judgment to such an extent they can't even comprehend the elementary concept of freedom. Earlier this May, Politico  published the leaked memo signaling the demise of Roe v. Wade, a shocking blow, but not surprising if we consider the last Supreme Court Justice, Trump and McConnel rammed through before the Democratic takeover was Amy Coney Barrett, a judge who told a graduating class of law students in 2006 to "keep in mind that your legal career is but a means to an end . . . that end is building the kingdom of God." A cherry-picked statement, but insightful nonetheless. Six of the nine Justices are Catholics, so some trepidation was not out of place, the hope was the court would remain a secular institution, or at least retain the little objectivity it had left after Bush V Gore, but overturning Roe V Wade, wrecking legal precedent in the process, is our dead canary. And it is the canary, not the gas, they are not done. It is incumbent on us all to watch Washington like hawks, even in Europe. American Right-wing lobbying groups have been spending a lot of money supporting anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ legislation in European countries, especially Brittain, and that won't stop either. This is the smoke alarm going off, the Overton window is shifting, but not in terms of social issues, it's moving towards authoritarianism. Selling a calm, tranquil freedom... from people they don't agree with. Not worrying about politics is no longer an option. This is not normal, so we can't act like it is. The people in the center and on the left that still think it's business as usual need to be informed we are in crisis mode. Vote in every election; even if you don't like the candidate. As long as they're not authoritarian: ballots away. When people stay home because Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton are such unsavory candidates I can't blame them, but then Donald Trump, or someone like him, wins. If we want to protect human rights, we have to vote for the corporatists over the dangerous demagogues and go from there. This goes for all continents (including the penguins in Antarctica), in Boris Johnson's Britain, for example, after climate change protestors blocked traffic, the government response was to crack down on protesters; proposing new laws to limit protests. Negating the point of protests: to make the government listen to its population. So this is a worldwide problem, we are obligated to teach the values and principles of liberty and freedom. That means coexisting even if that's difficult for you. Freedom is not what Republicans tell you. Whether you like it or not, gay marriage, and trans rights, that's freedom. Abortion is freedom. If you think the word "gay" should be outlawed, as Florida Republicans do, you are not Benjamin Franklin reincarnate. The upcoming midterms will illuminate how deep our peril is. Or whether or not I've been throwing a massive hissy fit. For now... all we can do is wait and see.