Are we truly free?

Americans think they're free, but when you think about it, there's not much we can do without the government's permission. Some examples of what you can't do without the government's permission first are: get married, drive a car on the street, post a sign at your business, sell goods and services, build your house, build your business, sell cigarettes, sell ice cream, sell alcohol, prepare and sell food, and open your business (occupancy permit).

Maybe 1880 was one of the best years in American History. The empire had not been built yet, and every item listed above except "get married" we could do without the government's permission. Also, there was no income tax, no social security, no Medicare or Medicaid, and no Federal Reserve. The lives of Americans were basically untouched by government. Ahh, the good old days.

Congress begins assault on the internet

Congress has just started its assault on the internet. Twenty years from now, you probably won't recognize the world wide web because it will be so regulated and restricted.

In the name of protecting children, this act, rushed through the House of Representatives the other day, places many businesses in jeopardy if they don't comply. Read the article here.

The other act, supposedly in the name of discovering "home grown" terrorism, also assaults our use of the internet to communicate. Read Ron Paul's article here.

Time to write your two state senators to ask them to oppose the first act mentioned above. If our freedom on the net is severely restricted, we're cooked. I'd hate to be able to access only government websites, wouldn't you?

Are we free?

Not according to Robert F. Hawes, Jr. He wrote a great article that appears today on lewrockwell.com. An excerpt: "You see, today the American government tells us that it can spy on us whenever and however it likes. It can read our e-mail and postal mail, track our financial records, pry into our medical histories, force libraries to turn over lists of the books we read, force internet service providers to turn over records of our surfing habits, and tap our phones and record our calls."