Ann Arbor Update…
Land of the Formerly Free?
“Hey, do what you want–it’s a free country.”
When was the last time you heard that phrase?
I used to hear it a lot growing up. It’s a phrase that didn’t mean much to me at first as a kid until I learned about the oppressiveness of other countries; about regimes which use fear and manipulation to take away peoples’ rights. When I came to realize that we shared freedom and liberty here in this country, I was ecstatic.
There were plenty of issues facing us in those days, but at the time there still remained a cohesive understanding of liberty and its value. This sense–in fact it was much more than just a sense–this genuine feeling of freedom–it resonated everywhere I went.
I can clearly remember how private properties like bars and restaurants seemed to be much more relaxed environments back then. Owners could run their establishments as they chose, and people just seemed to co-exist harmoniously. And people sure did know how to celebrate together in those days.
It used to mean a great deal to me that “they” could only tread so far without overstepping their boundaries. And people knew what those boundaries were; there was an understood line. If crossed, the backlash would be immediate and substantial.
We The People had control, and that was comforting. This was when freedom meant real freedom, and wasn’t just a word.
It pains me to say that times have certainly changed. I look around today and I can no longer find this feeling anywhere.
More and more we see the power and control of lobbyists and corporations increasing, while at the same time the freedom to make our own choices shrivels up. People have been “divided and conquered,” distracted by topics which pit us against each other and prevent us from fighting together in defense of our liberties.
The less we are willing to stand up together, despite our differences, the more we allow ourselves to be swallowed up into a tightly controlled environment. There have been positive changes since I was a kid, sure–but it’s been one step forward, ten steps back.
The positives have been eclipsed by the ever-tightening grip of control and we all feel it.
Maybe you don’t smoke. Maybe that’s the difference between you and I. It’s the kind of difference that doesn’t matter. The kind we need to throw aside.
There is no other example of the sort of violation of personal liberty I’m talking about more obvious than smoking bans. It’s the line that never should have been crossed; an obvious and blatant assault against a personal choice. Business owners, customers, and employees all once had a choice that was suddenly stripped away, and for no reason.
Watching bans spread across the country like weeds raised some troubling questions for me. I was surprised and dismayed that people caved so easily.
People used to always say “they can’t ban smoking, because smokers would riot.”Smoking was THE example of what they could never ban, because if they did, it would mean they could ban anything. Everyone–smokers and nonsmokers alike–knew that.
So where were the massive protests by citizens and business owners? Where was the fighting, independent spirit we Americans are supposed to be known for? The line had not only been crossed, but trampled over. Where was the resistance? What the heck happened?
It’s simple. We’d been “divided and conquered,” all right, by the anti-smoking industry.
They intentionally spread the myth of second hand smoke to turn nonsmokers against us. To make people who couldn’t have cared less about smoke ten years ago hate us.
And to make smokers ashamed of themselves. Anti-smokers have hated smoking since smoking began. Only with “second hand smoke” were they able to trick others into hating it, too. Before they cooked up this scheme, anti-smokers were dismissed by everyone else as a small collection of oddballs.
They still are exactly that. But they’ve used misinformation and fear mongering to chip away at our liberties bit by bit, to enlist otherwise neutral people to help them, and to perpetuate a falsely heroic image of themselves.
A tiny group of oddballs dressed as knights in shining armor, swearing to “protect” us from imaginary threats. There is a real threat and it’s them. Like all despotic regimes, their power has been gained at the expense of freedom. They’ve gone too far, and they’ll keep going until they are stopped.
You don’t hear the phrase “It’s a free country” much anymore, and yes, I think smoking bans are a huge part of that. But that’s good news. It means you will start hearing it again, as soon as we win this fight.
Originally written By: Jonas Jagielski
