Liberty, freedom and peace

[WestViking]

Only about one third of the world population is privileged to live in free democracies. Those democracies do not exist by chance, or due to some inalienable right of man to be free; they exist due to centuries of bloody wars fought to secure the liberty of individuals from kings and tyrants and later fought so ensure the liberty won was maintained in the face of aggressors (including fascists) who wished to reinstate control over the populace.

The United States fought a war of rebellion against a British king they felt was taxing them unfairly and excessively, without giving them their rights as British citizens, including effective representation. The British did not adequately protect the 13 colonies against the French, even ceding to them much of the land west of the Appalachians, without consulting the colonists.

Liberty became a rallying cry of the Americans that survives to this day. The liberty won by the Americans had a profound effect far beyond US borders.

The bloody nose given the British in America showed the British and eventually other colonies that the Crown was not invincible and true liberty was within reach This forced the end of religious restrictions in 1831 and affected her relations with other colonies allowing other nations to gain independence without bloodshed. The Anglosphere has much for which to thank the Founding Fathers of America.

It is significant that all of the nations that either fell to or embraced fascism to some degree in the past have returned to democratic governance. There is no indication that current democracies are turning to fascism. As members of free democracies, our largest concern is to guard against growing statism and socialism disguised as welfare. The problems are somewhat different depending on which side of the border we reside on, but Canada faces a relatively high degree of socialism and both nations suffer statists who are convinced they are acting in the public good while trying to regulate our lives.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were not engaged to help or save the local populace. We are engaging elements of radical Islam who have decreed a holy war of terrorism on free democracies with the objective of frightening the populations of free nations into allowing themselves to be subjugated to Islamic rule. The wars are preemptive, designed in part to engage the enemy on his ground rather than on ours. Flowing therefrom is an obligation to support Afghanistan and Iraq to the point that they can be independent and able to protect themselves from incursion by a common enemy and allow us to disengage.

[jbg]

I assume (without knowing) that you are a Canadian. It is refreshing to have a Canadian understand how key the role of the US (non-loyalists) were in creating the conditions for a freer or better world than anyone living in those post-Dickensian times could imagine. The US led the English-speaking world into the sunlight of progress and individual freedom, launching on the very good start that the British Empire gave us.

[jbg]

I thought I was the only one starting zero-answer threads (link to another one). This is pathetic.

The umteen Caledonia and Mulroney threads are chock-full of responses and this one is ignored.

For shame!!!

[Black Dog]

As members of free democracies, our largest concern is to guard against growing statism and socialism disguised as welfare. The problems are somewhat different depending on which side of the border we reside on, but Canada faces a relatively high degree of socialism and both nations suffer statists who are convinced they are acting in the public good while trying to regulate our lives.

Odd, how one can in one breath talk of "long and bloody wars" as the necessary precondition to democracy, then decry statism in the next breath. Without a high degree of statism, there's no military and thus no democracy.

Basically this is just the Randoid mantra "the state should stay out of everyone's business, except for when I need the state to be in everyone's business."