07/04/2003 Archived Entry: "Hurray for freedom!"

We are freer now than we were when America was founded. That's one of the great things about America, it just keeps getting better. Here are some examples of our increased freedom:

Slavery has been abolished.

The vote is no longer restricted to white people.

Women have the right to vote.

Americans can vote at the age of eighteen.

Segregationists are now wacko nuts rather than a mainstream political ideology.

Americans can be openly gay, and still work a conventional job and join a Christian church.

People can buy and sell pictures of naked women without fear of arrest.

Divorce is legal in every state, and can be initiated by either spouse.

We have an all-volunteer military, and it's not necessary for most young men to join it.

Abortion is legal.

There are still ways in which we are not free enough, but America has the means of self-improvement. We'll get there, and it's getting better all the time. It's not the case that we're unfree, doomed, and headed for dictatorship.