“It [freedom] is a thing of the spirit. Men must be free to worship, to think, to hold opinions, to speak without fear. They must be free to challenge wrong and oppression with the surety of justice.”

I absolutely, whole heartedly agree, freedom is a thing of the spirit. Freedom is also a thing of the physical and, all other experiences as a class may be put to. The U.S. has abandon a government of law for a government of men thus, making justice a very rare commodity.

If freedom is a thing of the spirit, which it is, then men must be free to choose.

...free to keep the fruits of his labor and run his economic affairs unencumbered ... Oh, sorry. Hoover wouldn't have said that. It was his intervention that started the great depression. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122576077569495545.html I guess freedom's only OK when it's some abstract ideology. The quote is good. The source is pretty ironic.

Hoover started the great depression and Roosevelt kept it going for another 10 years.

I agree. But I have heard as usual conflicting thoughts about this idea of freedom. In Christian circles some talk about the Law of Liberty meaning the Ten Commandments. So they say that keeping law makes us free, huh? Yesterday I read that man is not totally free as long as he is influenced by causal law, in other words laws hem is in, direct us and makes who we are, from parental law or rules. to school rules etcetera. Sometimes we wax eloquent and sentimantal about this spirit of freedom and maybe we don't even know what we are talking about. The founders were not talking about freedom from law but freedom from dictatorship, eg. King George.

Hmmm, Freedom is a God given right, but not free...and humanity does manage to mess it up on occasion...given enough rope.

Yes, this is along the road to Freedom but still a long way to go. As Krishnamuriti said 'Observe without being the observer' Please listen to his speech San Diego 1970 just google his name. All that there is is SELF all that is is. Freedom is not something you aquire - freedom is.

Excellent. It accurately describes America and how we should be.

Justice, held obscure by those who wield the iron hand within obscurity. Sickening is the hand who hides behind corruption for personal gain. Service to all, an Oath to poverty. Least one forget the meaning of service above self !