Freedom is...???

So much has been going on lately, that I simply haven't thought about this much. First things first - Congrats, Storyteller Knight, for being nominated for a writing award for her superhero series Cat's Eye PI! Help us vote her to victory!

In other news, what the hell is going on with Arizona? For the past 5 years, we've seen all sorts of questionable laws and bans come out of that state, from abortion to immigration and gay rights-- and we thought Utah was conservative! What I really don't understand is why certain groups claim to want a "small government" that doesn't infringe on people's rights, yet they support and advocate laws that force women who seek an abortion to have an ultrasound (and not the slimy-stomach type, but by means of a long, thin camera shoved up her crotch... how's that for traumatizing, especially after a possible rape... Though technically, by definition, it would also qualify as being rape...);  allow police to stop (and possibly arrest) anyone on the streets and ask for documentation with very loosely defined requirements (no warrant required); tell people who love each other they can't legally get married, or have/adopt kids, or visit each other in the hospital, because some people don't like it or think it's right; deny basic human rights based on skin color or ethnicity (still happens today, though thankfully not as widespread as before. Now it's just more covert... in most cases.). So you want government to control who gets married and who gets to live where, but not to provide basic healthcare for all citizens, keep our borders safe or our beaches, water, and air clean? Not to make sure that everyone has an equal, fair opportunity to get a decent job based on experience and knowledge, and a fair wage? And not to make sure that everyone has a fair chance at the American dream by helping those who have nowhere to go, no education, are cold or sick or dirty or hungry or alone or too old to care for themselves? Do we just let these people die on the streets? I think you'd  just complain that the government isn't keeping these people away from your perfect America. Please prove me wrong. My point is that we've seen the world without these things, and we've seen the world with it. We don't want to go back to that world of fear, and pain, and cruelty. We're supposed to be the penultimate country of freedom, the "Land of Opportunity." That title, however, is also based on a history of institutionalized pain, murder, and unnecessary force. In some ways, we have tried to rectify our past mistakes, and in some ways, we have overcome our past. We are a superpower in the world, and have so much potential for good. But we don't know what freedom truly means. So, think about it. What does freedom mean for you? And what does it mean for Americans?