Land of the Free (restrictions apply, while supplies last)

The more time I've been in America, the more its ways baffle me. People here seem proud of their freedom, but I've felt that there are surprising limitations and double-standards. I feel that money and religion play a bigger role than elsewhere in Western world where I've lived, and these seem to set some serious restrictions to personal freedoms.

If America openly embraced itself as a Christian country, I would not have an issue with the religion. But claiming to have freedom of religion just does not align with making schoolchildren cite Pledge of Allegiance ("one nation under God") or printing "In God we trust" on your money. Or, like they're suggesting in Arizona, making high school graduation conditional to reciting an oath by God. I have not personally felt any sort of discrimination by religion, or any sort of push to Christianity. However, when the religion starts affecting legislation, I think freedom is lost. Examples of this are the difficulty of same-sex marriages, and decisions taken on women's bodies and futures by attempting, for example, to criminalize abortion after rape as "tampering with evidence" as in New Mexico.

How about the freedom to carry a gun? I've started to think of this as freedom to be afraid on the streets, knowing that anyone could be armed and go crazy about it (goes well with the freedom from mental health support in California). I do think that Davis is really safe and I don't need to worry about guns here, but still our safety training included a section on what to do if someone shows up with a gun. But here's a beautiful defense for gun rights from Alex Jones, absolutely worth watching, I'm sure it will convince anyone that we'd be safer if he'd carry more guns.

And then the freedoms that money brings! There is a freedom for billionaires to buy off media to promote their agenda, instead of freedom for individuals to obtain reliable news. So apparently Fox News provides the biggest chuck of news to Americans, but unfortunately Fox News feeds the masses bollocks about climate change and thinks Germany is sunnier than the US. It's no wonder this country is so backward at times if the "news" are blatant mind control by someone rich enough. I feel there should be a freedom to access news free of censorship and bought opinions (like these) on public TV in the style of BBC.

And I want to finish off by saying that there are many numerous things that America excels in, like freedom of speech. I've never experienced it elsewhere like I have in San Francisco, where anyone will start an opinionated debate with you on the bus. There are many countries that I've been to where I would not dare to publish this post due to government policing the internet for unwanted opinions, but in America (so far) I've felt safe to say what I think!