- Thu Aug 11, 2016 5:21 pm
#75526
Hey Grump
We've known each other a long time, so I know I can say this and you won't take it the wrong way.
You're right, of course...loss of freedom is VERY serious business. That said, I live in Canada, and I have never felt anything less than totally free.
Guns? Yup, we got them here, too. My uncles and aunts have hunted their meat for generations. The difference? We understand that owning a dangerous weapon is a responsibility as much as it is a right. People who have demonstrated that they cannot handle that responsibility (convicted felons, diagnosed sociopaths and the like) have had their privileges revoked. Oh, and you need to take a safety course in order to buy a weapon here. To me, that seems reasonable.
One of the things that makes me a proud Canadian is that I have the freedom to see a doctor, or take any of my loved ones to see a doctor, at any time and for any reason, without fear of bankrupting the entire family. Both parents have serious health issues, and I've had some pretty good traumatic injuries myself. If I was an American, I'd have been Chapter 11 several times by now because of that.
So tell me...who has more freedom? The man who can carry a gun to protect and feed his family? Or the man who can carry a gun to protect and feed his family AND access care when needed to save his family members' lives?
Never in my life have I ever felt restricted or limited by anything but my own ambition and work ethic. The government has never held me back. Going back further, the only time in Canadian history that we have ever had our freedom jeopardized was after we (as a nation) chose willingly NOT to separate from the British in the 1700s. That led to an aggressive invasion by the UNITED STATES, in which they tried to usurp our freely taken decision and annex us unwillingly into their fledgling nation. This was the War of 1812, and we not only repelled the invasion, thus saving our freedom, but we counter-attacked and got all the way to Washington DC, where we occupied, and then set fire to the White House before going (freely) back to our own borders. I know the American text books say it differently, but the reality is that if the US had actually won that war as they claim, Canada would not exist.
I know this comes off as a rant, but many years ago, I signed up to fight and die if necessary for my country. It really pricks my ass when someone tells me I'm not "free".
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass
...its about learning to dance in the rain!