i seem to know a LOT of people, many of whom are not North Coasters, never lived here, never will.

Boston for them was a non-event

For Bostonians, who already perhaps traumatized by having a Logan plane hit NYC... and then this? really hard to say...

though i'm noticing that DURING the even, a lot of "oh noes, the police are bad, and mean, and we're afraid and i'm having panic attacks" as well as "ho hum, i can work at home, carry on" and even "don't like it, but what can we do?"

a lot of those same people are VERY VERY VERY angry now. not at the govt. somewhat at the bombers. but definitely at anyone that suggests they were under martial law, and took it like sheep.

"oh hell no, we're bad ass and independent".

hard to reconcile.

if your rights are taken away at the point of a gun, it's not so much about rights, as force. the govt just showing they have it. laws don't mean much then. lawyer up if you survive.

interesting facts are coming out. the next few weeks should be ... interesting. one of which "boat guy was NOT armed with a gun, he did not engage in a fire fight, so... wtf?"

that said: many people told the police to frakk off, and they were not searched. anyone that opened the door, opened themselves to scrutiny - many were escoreted at gun point from their homes. the police message was "do not open the door to anyone but the police"; what they should have said was "do not open the door to anyone, at all, who has a gun, period, full stop; do not talk to the police"

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I find it an interesting branch of anarchy with democracy. If you want to be "free" in the sense the author means, you won't elect someone to lead you, you won't ask anyone else to "take charge" and you will simply be in charge of you at all times and therefore, "free" because no one gets to tell you what to do or when to do it.

When our founding fathers demanded our independence, it was as a society, with leaders who could see the big picture and who could help steer us. We have the opportunity to lead, or to choose leaders ourselves instead of "God" ordaining them by DNA based on royalty.

So I think it is important to not lose track of the purpose of what "freedom" is. It's not to do and act as we feel like, that is for anarchists who don't want to live with others and who don't want to respect other people's boundaries. It is the ability to live within a society that allows us to participate in the decisions made for that society. Freedom is being able to form the rules within the structures of a society and, if you don't like them, binding together with others to propose alternatives. It's not being ruled by a king or queen or church.

So I guess I find a lot at fault with it. Mostly with the understanding of what "liberty" means. Some people want it to mean "outside of the context of society" and that ignores my boundaries in a way I'd like not to ignore theirs.