The separation of church and state, freedom to make choices and freedom to talk about things that I believe are important, I never want to be without.

We can see what happens when countries like Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan try to build a nation which must deal with secular things that affect all governments, but attempt to do it with religions that are centuries old with little or no coping skills for modern problems. In most cases, the religion that is in the majority or has the greatest power, superimposes it's system on everyone in that nation. That type of situation can lend itself to all kinds of abuses and many are committed in the name of religion.

If I decide that I want to move from one state to another, with the freedom of choice I will be allowed. If I want to build my house close to the surf along the coast, I can if I want. If I want to change careers and need to go back to college to pickup a new area of expertise, I can if I want. The idea of having the government tell me that I can’t do any of those things seems deeply wrong.

If I want to talk about some method of accomplishing tasks in my community, I can if I want. Even if I know you’re wrong about what you’re saying, you should be allowed to talk about what’s on your mind. I get uncomfortable with folk start telling me that I can't say certain things, which I hold to be of value and true. I choose to believe that if you would just listen to what I have to say, you too might see the merit in my ideas.

These to me are very important freedoms. And, if I want to listen to jazz, rock, folk or polkas, I don’t want the government to be in a position to tell me that I can’t listen. I don’t want the government to tell broadcasters that they can’t meet my need when it comes to music or other programming.

The problem isn’t in these freedoms. The problem begins with us and then it is passed on to the children we raise. If the methods necessary to solve life’s problems are not in our citizens, we need to start by looking at parenting. After we’ve looked at parents and parenting then we need to look at the institutions we have established to transmit and improve our cultures and societies. When we find problems there, we need to have within us the resources to fix the problems without violence. But, we need those freedoms in order to assure ourselves that we have the raw materials to build a better world.