How free is America?

Question

Reading the news today in my country and the Belgium news, within a few minutes I see a few articles that to me are kinda bizar.
In the first article I read that the town of 'Black Jack' in Missouri makes it punishable to live together unmarried with children. According to the mayor people should value the Christian standards.
In an other article I read that tv programs on the American tv can get to pay high amounts of money if there is indecent behavior, and this article takes the nipple of Janet Jackson for example.

Just two articles in five minutes reading the news.

So, is this the so-called American freedom? Every nude part of the body is being demonized, and people are not allowed anymore in some places to be unmarried and have children?

For those who want the links, they are in Dutch off course.
http://www.hln.be/hlns/cache/det/art_213201.html?wt.bron=hlnRPArtikels
http://www.hln.be/hlns/cache/det/art_217693.html?wt.bron=hlnRPArtikels

At the same time the US interferes with other religions, other values, etc.

Answer 1

The land of the free is a myth. A dream that has never come true. America today is not a free country anymore. It was been decades that we vegetate in the hope that we are free, well knowing we are not.
"The land of the free", oh how sweet that sounds. America is under attack, yes, but not by the Muslims or Islam or any other outside enemy. The enemy comes from within. The enemy are the religious fanatics who are as radical as the Taliban, but just a different flavor. Those radicals have distorted, corrupted and systematically destroyed the little freedom we have had left.

This is not the United States of America anymore, this is the Policed States of America.

Answer 2

We as human beings have different personalities. There are a lot of people who want to always be in control and have there own way. They can`t accept people for who they are. Some people in the USA, don`t Even know the three branches of the federal government, the number of US Senators or ever read the Constitution and it`s amendments. Most people in America take things for granted because they don`t know any better. The funny thing is when America needs to be strong, we all come together. If some Americans would respect people of different races, nationalities,and religious beliefs,if any. This country would be stronger. Yes, we are free.

Answer 3

Well, as far as the things you mentioned, the religious/moral thing in Missouri is just silly. It would never hold up to scrutiny if it was enforced due to the separation of church and state, if someone was actually prosecuted for it. In some tiny areas of this country, some in government/politics make, or attempt to make, laws to get the popular vote and never even intend to use those laws. I had never heard of "Blackjack, Missouri" and couldn't find it on a map, so it must be extremely small, and the law is certainly not a normal thing. I doubt it exists in even one other town. But, yes, that would certainly be a very "un-free" sort of thing if it was happening anywhere else in this country. As far as nudity, on broadcast television, it's not allowed at certain times (like when children might be watching) becuase there are some people who still think a nipple or a butt is somehow a bad thing and don't want their kids to see it, so it would be wrong to force their kids to see it, if the parents think it's bad, yes? However, at night, when it's assumed mostly adults are watching, there is some nudity on broadcast TV sometimes, and on cable, there's nudity frequently on some stations, and on certain stations, there's nothing but nudity 24 hours a day. So all adults here have ample opporunity to see nudity. Janet Jackson wasn't supposed to do that because it was during the superbowl, when lots of children and people who, for whatever reason, are easily offended would certainly be watching. That's not about her freedom to be naked, it's about others' rights. The right to watch a TV program which states that it is nudity-free, and ok for kids, without seeing nudity. I am open-minded and personally wouldn't care if Janet stripped down to nothing, but I do respect the right for someone else to watch a football game without seeing it. I hope this makes sense. I do agree with you, that there are a lot of regulations, and some are just stupid, or seem needless or like that one in Missouri, just plain wrong. However, to me, freedom means trying to ensure that excercising my own freedom doesn't lessen someone else's freedom. Janet's aren't the only nipples on TV, trust me. :-) Thanks for your honest, and politely written question. Take care.

Answer 4

To have a culture of freedom requires a philosophical foundation that supports it or enough momentum from past intellectual giants to ride the wave of freedom. We fall into the later group, most unfortunately. The crucial concepts of the enlightenment are lost on most of our contemporaries, if not outright condemned by them.

We are generally free, but quite adrift. I propose that a read of Atlas Shrugged would set us back on course.

(6000 bills went through Congress this session. Could anyone honestly say they can read 6000 pages of text, much less understand the interactions among them and the prior years’ bills?)

Answer 5

Our Freedom is based on not interfering with the freedom of others. Our country is based on a Christian belief. We try and protect our children and the institution of marriage. Abuse of freedom is when others are offended by what you do. Although it is a tightrope walk between having freedom and having laws to protect others freedom. We do the best we can. The nude body is not demonized ,but, how one portrays ones body in public and in front of children is protected.

Answer 6

Be careful when asking these questions some of us Americans get too touchy and start yelling and being blindly patriotic withoht facts. America is still a free country but things are getting worse more and more freedoms are taken away all the time. Given a good couple 20 years i cant imagine. Ill put it like this America isnt what she used to be.

Answer 7

We may be the most free country in the world be we are definitely not free! We have an extreme number of laws that try to legislate our behavior based on what someone else thinks is good for us. If I was free then I could do anything I want that did not hurt someone else without fear the police state would come and get me.

Answer 8

let's start with "you have the RIGHT to remain silent" or rather i do, do you when you get arrested? "you have the RIGHT to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you" how about you? i mean those are the rights we give to people who have been arrested. we are founded on phrases like "innocent until proved guilty" and "don't tread on me." a lot of laws that are on the books no one pays attention to - did you know it's illegal in wisconson (or some state not attached to the ocean) to shoot a whale from your car? that in california you are supposed to have someone with a lantern walk 100 feet in front of your car at night?
yeah, we're prudish about showing naked people on regular TV, but hey, so what? we don't like our kids to hear foul language, so what? i don't think that's bad - and when a TV station does that, they should be punished - how are you going to do that? fine them.
and laws like the one in Black Jack that you read about would be overturned by the state government... it would never even make it to the supreme court before someone said - wait, what were you idiots thinking?
just because some little town makes a law, doesn't mean it sticks.

Answer 9

The best thing about the USA was our Constitution but things have definitely changed for the worse.

Keep in mind that the 4th and 6th amendments have already been violated by the Patriot Act. The USA is now effectively a police state.

The 8th amendment is also under threat because the current government wants to legalize the use of torture.

Answer 10

Were freer than most countries, and I'll take it just the way it is. Ive been to your country, in fact ive been all over europe. But wouldn't trade our country or way of life for anything offered in europe. Did have a good time in Brussels though.

P.S. The answer man can always move, theres lots of little socialist countries you can live in that are a workers paradise, there just waiting for you..... BuuuuuuuBye LOL