our freedoms have been whittled down to nearly none under a succession of administrations, right and left
Absolutely! In the name of 'security' we have signed away the basic protections provided for in our Constitution. The more 'safe' the government makes me, the less secure I feel.
Exactly. Governments ought not to protect us, but rather protect our natural rights. I'm no longer sure we need governments at all. The world is replete with them, and look at the mess that has been made.
There are no perfect governments, but, again, looking at history, a power vacuum leads to the worst of us taking over. We need a balance. Our forefathers tried to strike that balance. Of course they made mistakes--obviously, because look where we are now.
Governments, by nature, are parasitical. They feed on us to exist at all. The reason that the worst have taken over in recent history could very well be because the US and other western powers have been complicit in the toppling of legitimate governments and installation of their corrupt cronies. In the case of the US, who is going to control that coup? Some say we are seeing a controlled demolition. I do not know, but I am on my toes, or so I believe.
Ditto