We hear a lot about freedom and liberty. They are buzz words in American politics and society. But what do these words mean? According to the Oxford American dictionary liberty is “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.”

Webster defines freedom as “A state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude or confinement. Freedom is personal, civil, political, and religious.” Obviously these words are intricately linked and are practically synonymous.

But we must not think that that’s all there is. Reading the works of the founding fathers, one finds these and belief in the (universal) natural rights of man are the ideals on which this country was founded. Far from being a biblical concept, natural rights were developed by philosophers in ancient Greece and known throughout the Greek and Roman empires. Freedom and Liberty (for some) can become tyranny if they are not coupled with the natural rights of mankind, “among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It is not without reason that the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.

In my lifetime I have seen these ideals invoked by the political right and left with equal fervency. Each claiming to be more in tune with the true meaning and the founders’ intentions.

In the current political situation these concepts appear to be hopelessly “woke”. How is it possible that a strong conservative position in the 1960’s is a far left position in the 2020’s? Is it really just freedom and liberty for a select few? Are these ideals now for sale to the highest bidder and excluded from everyone else? It appears that the evil elite class is only the one supporting the other party.

A Vietnam war veteran recited the Pledge of Allegiance and gave a moving speech at the April 5 Hands Off protest in Moscow. He did not use the original version of the Pledge.

I pledge allegiance – a promise of loyalty

to the flag – 50 stars to represent each state and 13 stripes to represent the original 13 colonies

to the United States of America – a remarkable assembly of diverse people, rules, and topographies

and to the Republic for which it stands – a grand experiment; a form of government in which sovereignty resides with the people, NOT the church, a dictator, or a monarch.

one nation under God – Mr. Hodgins used the Pledge version that was modified in the post-Joe McCarthy era (1950s) to include the words ‘under God’ which transformed the Pledge of Allegiance from a patriotic oath to one that imposed a religious value not held by all citizens. This is not what the Framers intended, and it violates the separation of church and state defined in the Establishment Clause (the First Amendment) of the Constitution. Those promoting the addition of “under God” were driven by fear of atheism in the Soviet Union and the conviction that faith in a god is a universal American characteristic. This opened the door to religious pushback against the secular state.

indivisible – something that cannot be divided

with liberty – (def) the state of being free; the power of choice

and justice for all. – the ideal that every individual in the US is entitled to fair treatment and equality under the law.

Let’s abide by the Framers intentions. Their omission of God in the Constitution was not an accident. It was an intentional mechanism to protect individuals from religious overreach. If we are all “under God”, we have lost our liberty.

P.H. Moscow ID

I am concerned about the coming hard financial times. I’m concerned that democracy itself may be held responsible. I do not see how the USA’s isolationist policies can succeed for us working people, but I can see how the billionaire class will thrive because of a self-inflicted poor economy. I do not understand how so many people who I consider friends and compatriots find Trump credible. However, I do not doubt that as this “temporary” pain drags on, anyone who’s not enthusiastically behind Trump’s concepts will be blamed for sabotaging his “inspired” failure. I’m unsure if my opinion is justified and sincerely hope I am wrong about the bad economy and, especially, the blame to this Democratic Republic I was so lucky to inherit and would like to pass on. Please remember the hard times this country went through without us being born yet, and don’t let us be the ones to decide wrecking the constitution and fixing the blame is better than the hard work of fixing a broken economy.

B. G. Troy ID