Freedom?

A truly iconic moment from any movie was when William Wallace (Mel Gibson) cried “that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom” as he rallied the Scots to battle against the tyrannical English. He, again, yells “FREEEDOOOM” as he was being executed. I can hear you, and I agree that this is very much an idealistic interpretation of a bloodied period of history. But I needed that image in your mind as I look at the concept of freedom! What do we mean when we talk of freedom?

The dictionary perceives it as a noun meaning 1) The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. 2) Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government.  

For me, it means the right to be who I want to be, to be able to voice my view on any issue without fear of reprisal, to pursue personal happiness and live the way I wish to live. I recognise it as encompassing all beings on the planet. Could it be this simply and I have staggered onto the answer that philosophers have deliberated over for centuries?

John Stuart Mills (‘On Liberty’) reasons that it is acceptable for someone to harm himself as long as he is not harming others, however, individuals are prevented from doing lasting, serious harm to themselves, or their property, by the harm principle, as no-one exists in isolation, any harm done to oneself may also harm others, and destroying property deprives the community, as well as oneself.

Quick précis: If you are not doing harm to another or their property you can do as you please? I like that ideal, but again does it define ‘freedom’?

Put just the word ‘freedom’ into your search engine, you will be very surprised at the result. The furniture store appeared first on the list; not my concept of freedom, although I do like their range of goodies. Next is Wikipedia’s entry for freedom, then Political freedom (Wikipedia again) followed by Freedom of Information (Australia). Really not much help here but scroll through a couple of pages….

I stumbled across the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom, an annual guide published by ‘The Wall Street Journal’and‘The Heritage Foundation’.Who identify themselves as Washington's No. 1 think tank; so maybe the answer we seek?  This is the web link, http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking. I found it to be quite informative and very user friendly. The page is easy to follow with graphics, stats and why your country placed where they did. However that is a side issue; what we want from this think tank is what Economic Freedoms are? They answered that,  it is ‘a fundamental right so that every human can control his or her own labour and property. Economically free society allow for individuals to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please, with that freedom both protected by the state and unconstrained by the state. Thus providing these free societies government to allow labour, capital and goods to move freely, and refrain from coercion or constraint of liberty beyond the extent necessary to protect and maintain liberty itself.’ Who know that our governments were working this hard?

To know that I reside in a country that ranks 3^rd in the world for economic freedom, and this is nice, but what does it really mean? I do not own property, I do have a job and I consume, however I never have enough left over to invest, but thanks anyway as it is a comfort to know that when I hit the top 10 in ‘The Times’ best seller list,I will be in the right place to capitalise!

But we are still no closer to an answer! To find anything close to what I think most would identify as freedom I was forced to pull out the history books. Freedom was most eloquently identified by President Franklin D Roosevelt on the 6^th January 1942 for his ‘State of the Union Address’:

• We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
• The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.
• The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.
• The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
• The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbour—anywhere in the world.
• That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation.

http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/fourfreedoms and you can hear the Man himself giving the speech (4.35), it is really worth it, as he was a true visionary and I have only copied a small part of the Address.

I think this sums it up for us all. And here I go again (rose-coloured glass, you have been warned!!) but if we adopted the concepts that FDR put forth in 1942, then and only then will we have the freedom we constantly try to immortalise in books and movies. I will leave you with this quote from another Great Visionary “Freedom would be meaningless without security in the home and in the streets.”  (Nelson Mandela, speech, April 27, 1995)

The images below are of people, who in my lifetime, have had to fight for their freedom. 

Freedom Rides in Australia  (1965) resulted in the Aboriginals gaining 'equality' by referendum on 1967. 

Freedom Riders in the USA (1961) help to end segregation. 

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Bullying or Hate Crimes….

Today my 19yr old son and I had a rather heated discussion on the validity of Hate Crime Laws. Never one to discard any viewpoint I had a look at some of the information he had used and found myself looking into the issue further. So I have decided to make this the topic of today’s blog. All I ask is that you read to the end before yelling, emailing or generally raging.

In many countries the laws in place state that a person can be charged with committing a hate crime, if it is deemed that the crime was as a result of hatred.  I know that we have fought long and hard to gain the equality and justice we have with our legal systems today. Is this what is adding to the ever-increasing incidences of bullying in our communities? Are our laws actually inflaming the problems? Now I did warn you at the start to not yell at me, so just let me walk you through this reasoning.  

A couple of days ago I talked about Rosa Parks and how her actions highlighted the racial problems in the US of A. This led to gradual change whereby every American is afforded the same rights and privileges’ of citizenship. This was a huge step in the right direction. African Americans became more equal than they were but what about the other ethnic groups in America. Native Americans, Jews, Muslims, Hispanic to name just a few, did they get included in this shift in thinking? What of those with different ideologies, religions or sexual orientations? Did this change the thinking to only include those, that at that time, empowered themselves to change their destiny?

To commit a crime against a man because his skin is a different colour then yours it is deemed as a hate crime. To commit a crime based on the sexual orientation and/or gender identity can be considered a hate crime.  And this is as it should be! No enlightened society should ever tolerate a crime that is committed simply because a person is not like you! My son pointed out to me that most crime is based in hatred. Stop and let us think about that for a moment or two. 

MOST CRIMES ARE COMMITTED BASED IN HATRED.

In Australia, your typical models of a hate crime would comprise: the fire-bombing of a synagogue or a mosque or gay-bashings but not a rape, even if it can be identified that hatred was the foundation for the rape. I could find plenty of reports that looked at the level of violence and hate crimes against minority groups (racist violence, homophobic violence in the school system, violence against women with disabilities, violence against lesbians and gay men) but I could not find any figures that show how these reports and studies actually impact in a real way to protect these citizens. 

While the laws in America vary from State to State the FBI does actually have data that is easy to find and understand The FBI states that for 2011, that 20.8 % of incidents were motivated by a sexual orientation bias, while 19.8% were motivated by a religious bias. Racial bias incidents encompass the highest percentage of reported hate crimes. There were 6,216 single-bias incidents of which 46.9 % were motivated by a racial bias.

What my researching today showed was that no matter which first world country I Googled they all have some form of law to cover a crime committed by hatred. Very noble! But what of the other crimes? 

NOW IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO STOP AND ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT THE ISSUE.

• A gay boy bullied at school takes his own life because of the taunts about his life choices it is treated as a crime of hate. 
• A computer geek with acne and two left feet takes his own life because of the taunts he has had to endure since grade school is a tragic event.
• A girl wearing a burqa is bashed up because of her faith, this is a hate crime.
• A girl attacked because she is in the wrong neighbourhood is just an assault.
• The local police station is bombed because a couple of thugs want revenge for perceived wrongs, it is just a bombing.
• The local mosque is fire bombed it is a hate crime. 
• A ‘white’ man is dragged from his vehicle and beaten into a coma by any minority group it is assault.
• A ‘black’ man is pulled from his car by a group of angry whites and beaten into a coma it is a hate crime.  

While the about list are just examples I have based them in similar crimes that I have found in newspapers as I researched this topic.  Can we see a pattern here? Crime is crime and the colour of your skin; the God you believe in; your gender; your impairment or your sexual orientation should not be allowed to be the focal point. You have been savaged by a bully and that is the behaviour society should be addressing. 

While we divide up the crimes into categories of ‘not so bad’, ‘bad’ and ‘evil’ based on the race, religion, creed, gender or sexual orientation of the victims, as a society we are permitting BULLIES to terrorise us! Each crime should be judge as it is presented in court, and not left up to the media to add prejudices to whatever crime they feel will enhancement their rating that week. 

As a society we should refuse to accept any violent behaviour, be it in the home, workplace, shopping centre, school or in the street. We should petition our government’s to change the laws so that those who are found guilty of a violent crime are punished accordingly. This is the way to ensure that justice is serviced and not just seen to be served.  We should demand that the reports and studies are actually converted into authentic laws that work to protect those who are been branded and brutalised by thugs.

As I close I will leave you to ponder this! I found a couple of sites where women had been raped as a punishment for their sexual preference but I could not find a single study or report where this was looked at! Is this neither a crime nor a hate crime?

             In Australia we have our laws for discrimination under review please go to this site. 

https://theconversation.edu.au/free-speech-and-other-human-rights-the-clause-that-almost-sank-the-human-rights-bill-11901#_=_

• Please read this and stay up-to-date on this debate. It is only after these ridiculous bills are passed via parliament and the consequences ripple out, that the citizens of this nation get up in arms. Sorry, it is to late then to get vocal. 

ACTION THIS NOW.

• Talk to your local member, write a letter to a newspaper editor, ring your favourite current affair programme, and ring up that talk-back radio show you listen. Talk to your friends, do anything to get involved. 

DO NOT LET POLITICIANS SIGN AWAY YOUR BASIC RIGHTS.

CAN NOT BE BOTHERED....

I am starting today’s blog with something I feel is important but rather than use my own words I have taken this except from a declaration whereby Obama proclaimed February 4, 2013, as the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Rosa Parks.  Have a read of the first part of the speech:

A PROCLAMATION BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BARACK OBAMA

“On December 1, 1955, our Nation was forever transformed when an African-American seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. Just wanting to get home after a long day at work, Rosa Parks may not have been planning to make history, but her defiance spurred a movement that advanced our journey toward justice and equality for all.

Though Rosa Parks was not the first to confront the injustice of segregation laws, her courageous act of civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott -- 381 days of peaceful protest when ordinary men, women, and children sent the extraordinary message that second-class citizenship was unacceptable. Rather than ride in the back of buses, families and friends walked. Neighbourhoods and churches formed carpools. Their actions stirred the conscience of Americans of every background, and their resilience in the face of fierce violence and intimidation ultimately led to the desegregation of public transportation systems across our country.

Rosa Parks' story did not end with the boycott she inspired. A lifelong champion of civil rights, she continued to give voice to the poor and the marginalized among us until her passing on October 24, 2005.”

On the morning she went off to work, Rosa most likely did not think to herself “yes today I will change the world”, she was just one normal African American woman. However her one simple action of defiance would change the lives of generations. It can be stated that if not for her actions that ordinary day in 1955, the events that occurred at noon on the 20^th of January 2009 would not have happened. This was when the Presidency of Barack Obama began and he became the 44th President of the United States, making Obama the first African-American president of the United States. This was one of the events that were made possible when the quiet unassuming ‘black’ woman refused to sit at the back of a bus on her way home from a long and tiring day at work.

I did tell you at the beginning of my blogging that I had no real idea of where I was going with this but today I have spent much of my time both listening and reading about the woes of individuals, communities, groups, and countries. What I have noticed is that many will pass the issue off with an “I don’t care” or “it’s not my problem”.

Well sorry but it is your problem and you should care.

We teach our child that nothing is their fault. In trouble at school because they do not listen; sit still; punch another student; do not do their school work, yes the list is endless, but it is the fault of the teacher; the system; the kid they punched. We blame anyone but ourselves or our child. Do not start yelling that I do not know what I am talking about, but rather take an honest look at yourself…if you are one of this kind of parent then STOP and teach your child to accept that every action has consequences. These can be either good or bad but YOU must accept responsibility for the choices you make. Demonstrate by example and show your child that everything you do has a result and let them witness mistakes getting fixed up. After all that is your job to teach them how to live in the world.

Governments. Individuals who promise us the world, if we extend them the authority to run OUR nation. We have the right to expect honesty, loyalty and a decent way of life. Do they deliver? NO! In return for our show of good faith we are repaid by lies, treachery, cover-ups and back-room dealings. It is time for the politicians to accept responsibility for their actions. They should lead by example.  We expect a world where we can raise the next generation to believe the anything is possible. We will no longer tolerate our country being led by incompetent legislators.

I often hear stated “but I am just one person, what difference can I make”? History has shown us that it is the ‘one’ person who does in fact change history.  The fact the an African American, can make a proclamation acknowledging the actions taken by a 42 year old seamstress in 1955; and that he does so as the President of America, shows that one person can make a difference.

Peter Lalor led the Eureka rebellion, this event is credited as the key incident in the advances to the Australian democracy and identity. It can be stated that the actions of one man allowed for ‘Australian democracy to be born at Eureka’.

Eddie Koiki Mabo was an Aboriginal Australian man known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights and the role he played in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia, which overturned the legal doctrine of terra nullius ("land belonging to nothing, no one") which had and was Australian law with regards to land and title after English settlement. Similar to Rosa Parks the contributions made by Eddie Mabo have been acknowledged with Mabo Day which occurs annually on 3 June.

So next time you get riled up by something, do not yell at the television, or the kids or even your work mates. Work out a plan of action and follow though…you may well be the world’s next Rosa Parks, Peter Lalor or Eddie Mabo.