Nine biggest threats to freedom

Since I don’t have anything especially prosaic to say this July 4th, I refer you to Michael Higgins’ list of the nine biggest threats to our freedom.

According to Michael, one of the biggest threats to freedom is celebrity date rape:

Every other week it seems we hear of a story of some women who claims she was raped by a celebrity. It gets down to her word against his. She cannot prove that she did not willingly accept sex – so he walks.

The thing about celebrities is that hordes of women want to have sex with them, so they simply assume that whenever a woman is with them they want sex. The celebrity lives in a world with completely different rules then regular people. I can’t imagine hordes of women wanting desperately to have sex with me.

(To be fair to Michael, he says the “story repeats itself – without celebrity – hundreds of thousands of times each year in every community,” so it’s more than just about celebrity date rape. My criminal law professor, Jeffrie Murphy, loved to talk about rape. I’ve given the issue more than a little thought myself, but hey, this is beyond the scope of this blog post.)

I’m going to be less politically correct than Michael and say that the two biggest threats to our freedom are immigration and Islam.

Comments

[Michael H.]

Hi Half Sigma
Thanks for linking to this piece.
I can’t imagine hordes of women wanting desperately to have sex with me.

Hmm. Somehow I think you can imagine this very well. :)

By the way, I was just using the famous celebrity "date rape" trials as an example, I don't think there are enough celebrity rapists to threaten women's freedom very much.

I’m going to be less politically correct than Michael and say that the two biggest threats to our freedom are immigration and Islam.

People have been complaining about immigrants from the beginning, but immigrants have always provided the fresh blood necessary to keep the country vibrant. As for Islam, I believe that vast majority of Muslims who come to this country and experience freedom that was impossible in their home country become fine citizens. The evil that we see being done in the name of Islam is really just a by-product of the lack of freedom that these people live under.

Does Islam encourage oppression? I don't know. The countries that follow Islam seem to be very repressive. But it could be that followers of Islam could live in a free country and vote to keep it free.

[William]

Well said, Michael. The repressive natures obvious in most Muslim dominated-states are a by-product of traditional dictators using creative methods to stay in power, including funding extreme Islam. When you've got a group that big, there are always bad apples, and the dictators are merely amplifying those bad apples. Keep in mind the biggest democracy in the world also has the second largest Muslim population: India. I think plain greed, for power, in all its manifestations, is the largest threat to freedom.

[Half Sigma]

William, India isn't such a great example of Muslims getting along, because the Muslims are fighting a guerilla war in Kashmir trying to kick the Hindus out.

Normally Turkey is used as the example of a benevolent Muslim country.

[probligo]

Two things, HS.

First I can not conceive of any rationale by which date rape represents a "major threat to the freedom of the USofA". We have a parallel in this country called "historic rape". There is a case just finished in Wellington; four men found guilty or raping a girl 12 years back. That has raised a number of legal concerns. I would NOT though suggest that it "threatens our freedom". It might of individuals...

FYI there is a large Muslim population in India. Take a look back to 2002/3 and you will find accusations of "state sponsored murder" of moslems in Gujarat. The state government blamed Hindu rioters for the murders, saying that they were taking revenge for acts of terrorism by the Moslems.

Take a look here -
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/india/

You might like to take a look to Turkey's record as well - particularly regarding the Kurds.

I think that by comparison the threat of celebrity date rape is miniscule.

Suffice to say - no one, no country, is perfect. Not even NZ, or the US.

[probligo]

Two things, HS.

First I can not conceive of any rationale by which date rape represents a "major threat to the freedom of the USofA". We have a parallel in this country called "historic rape". There is a case just finished in Wellington; four men found guilty or raping a girl 12 years back. That has raised a number of legal concerns. I would NOT though suggest that it "threatens our freedom". It might of individuals...

FYI there is a large Muslim population in India. Take a look back to 2002/3 and you will find accusations of "state sponsored murder" of moslems in Gujarat. The state government blamed Hindu rioters for the murders, saying that they were taking revenge for acts of terrorism by the Moslems.

Take a look here -
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/india/

You might like to take a look to Turkey's record as well - particularly regarding the Kurds.

I think that by comparison the threat of celebrity date rape is miniscule.

Suffice to say - no one, no country, is perfect. Not even NZ, or the US.

[William]

So a relatively minor problem on a border with a hostile dictatorship (Pakistan) indicates an Islamic incopatibility with freedom? I think not. Turkey's a mixed example, primarily because of its patchy neighborhood. Every decade or so the military takes over and sets them back on the right track. Keep in mind we've got 3 million Muslims, and they're getting along just fine. Also check out Dubai.

It's those that want to better themselves at the costs of others, no matter the excuse, that have and will always be freedom's greatest threat.