Memories of Freedom

Here's the always sharp Dan Gillmor on the CFP gig in NYC. Gillmor scares me because he's about as pessimistic as I am and way, way smarter.

Comments

[Lazarus Long]

Please explain to me what liberties we have lost? Really, I am not be sarcastic. I am just thinking about this after reading Cathy Young's piece today.

[JD Weiner]

Laz: Well, in 1912, I could build a machine gun in my workshop and take some laudanum for my arthritis (or anything else I felt like, whether or not the FDA thought it was a good idea), distill liquor at home, repair a riverbank on my property without it becoming a Federal issue, build my business without interference from people telling me I had to put in wheelchair ramps and who I had to and couldn't hire, I could ship my money out of the US without reporting it...and I DIDN'T have to pay income tax! (And I certainly wasn't forced to give the government an interest-free loan via withholding.)

I understand what you're saying, though - we have a tendency to forget what we would like to forget about the past and see it as some Golden Age. In 1912, women still couldn't vote, I don't think I would have liked being Black very much, and it was a lot easier to come under police attention for selling the wrong books or having sex with the wrong person. I agree with Young that we're not in that bad a situation vis-a-vis war and free speech, but when you expand your view to other areas of life, it ain't that great. (This might be an interesting historical research project...life in 1912 vs. life today. Anybody care to take it up with me?)

[Anonymous]

yeah, i can't rip cd's that i purchased (sales tax included 🙂 and share them on a p2p service of my choosing. WTF?!

[Anonymous]

http://www.theregister.com/content/54/30165.html