Let Freedom Ring
On the fourth of July, 1776, fifty-six men signed a revolutionary statement that proclaimed “liberty” to be a fundamental right: ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
A few years later, our most important document emphasizes the “blessings of liberty”: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”
What do “liberty” and “freedom” mean?
Should we be free to dispose of contaminants where we like, or should we be free from pollution-related sickness?
Should freedom to choose a good school for our children be based on our family’s money, or should all children be free from poor learning environments?
Should freedom to obtain medical care be based on ability to pay? Or should we be free from treatable illness no matter what our financial status?
Should we be free to decline paying for public libraries, or should we all be free from lack of access to newspapers and books?
Should we be free to discriminate against people of different race, religion, national origin, or gender in work and public settings, or should we be free to earn a living and pursue happiness regardless of those aspects of our background?
Clearly the words “freedom” and “liberty” can be used to promote very different values.
One of the most precious freedoms of our democracy is the freedom to choose leaders through voting—freedom from despotism.
The outcome of the free vote has profound consequences for how our society interprets, protects, and works to improve liberty.
For a famous example of a Democrat’s perspective, consider President Franklin Roosevelt’s address to Congress in 1941, months before we entered World War II, when he described his vision of the future: “We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms”:
“The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.
“The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world.
“The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
“The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.”
Another crucial liberty is the freedom to learn about our government’s decisions and actions—a freedom from unjustifiable secrecy—made more feasible with the 1966 passage of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The intense efforts of a Democratic congressman from California were largely responsible for getting FOIA enacted, and later FOIA was strengthened through amendments passed by a Democratic Congress over Republican President Gerald Ford’s veto.
(Can you guess who persuaded Ford it was bad legislation? Déjà vu: His chief of staff Donald Rumsfeld, deputy Dick Cheney, and Antonin Scalia, now one of the backward-looking justices on the Supreme Court, then a lawyer in the Republican Justice Department.)
Democratic President Bill Clinton and his attorney general used an executive order to increase federal compliance with FOIA, directing agencies to assume a “presumption of disclosure” rather than permit legal ambiguities to prevent release of information.
Sadly, our freedom to learn what our government is doing has been challenged by the unprecedented degree of secrecy in the administration of George Bush. The extensive use of non-government emails is just one example.
Congressional hearings (made possible this year with Democratic control of committees) are beginning to uncover facts that have been hidden from public view, even though Administration delays and missing emails make more difficult our freedom to know.
Given the Bush administration’s irresponsible foreign policy, it is painful to remember that when Bill Clinton left office, among his last official words were these:.
“People all around the world look to America to be a force for peace and prosperity, freedom and security.”
Let’s all exercise our freedom to vote. With the next election we can bring about a government that constantly strives to secure the blessings of liberty for all.
