Is Liberty just a fancy word for, "nothin' left to lose"?

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Alright. Alight. Alright. Welcome friends, welcome This is What’s Up radio broadcasting from big, beautiful, clear-channel WALTZ. I’m Tuck Avery, and by my side, Buzz Belton, the brother I never wanted. We wanna know what Liberty means to you. Buzz: Liberty’s sounds complicated and dull. It’d be more fun to talk about Freedom. Remember that Kristofferson line: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. Maybe Liberty’s just a fancy word for: “nothing left to lose”? Tuck: I think there’s much more to it than that.

Let’s see what Mavis in Southside thinks. What’s up, Mavis, can you set us straight? Mavis: Yas suh, I most certainly can! Freedoms’ not ‘bout losing sumthin’, it’s ‘bout getting sumthin’. Dr. King said, “Free. Free. Free. Great God Almighty, free at last”. Wudn’t he talkin’ ‘bout liberty from bad laws, and bein’ free himself. Liberty and freedom’s the same. Free is free, and beside that - they ain’t nuthin’ dull ‘bout bein’ free.

Tuck: Tom in Southside agrees, there’s nothing dull about either Liberty or Freedom, but there is a difference. Tom: We usually talk about Liberty when we talk about liberation from some government power. We talk about freedom when we talk about being free from some personal obligation, like alimony payments or keeping a promise.

Buzz: Sara from Winton says there’s more to it than getting out of something. Sara: Oh my goodness. Freedom isn’t only about getting out of something. It’s about getting something. It’s about soaring unbound through a world of good things that aren’t kept from you. Tom’s right about Liberty though. Liberty’s about getting free of bad government.

Tuck: Don’t hear much disagreement. Tom and Sara agree that both Liberty and Freedom start with being cut loose from some kind’a ball & chain. Maybe it is the same thing.

Buzz: Might be, but I hear the music. We’ll be right back

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Buzz: Got Jakob on the line from Center City. Jakob: You’re talking about trivial sorts of liberties. My Mom & Dad fled Communist Czechoslovakia to get here. Dad says people who’ve escaped Communism love America more than people who were born here. Dad has a joke about it. He says Americans don’t know what their missing - then he laughs. That’s Slovenian humor, dark and bitter. Refuges don’t take Liberty lightly. They know Liberty is fragile, easily lost, and hard to regain. They also know Liberty can only be defended by vigilant men with guns.

Tuck; Alex in Libertyville says his town takes Liberty seriously. Alex: Libertyville was founded on the fourth of July. That’s why it’s called Libertyville. politicians ‘round here make a big deal outa Liberty. We got Revolutionary flags and statues all over the place. We appreciate being Americans.

Jakob: I wasn’t talking about Flags and statues.

Tuck: Alright then, next up, we’ve got Jack on the air, he’s a retired Ensign from Statesboro Navy Retirement Home with a veteran’s view on Navel service and Liberty. What’s up Jack?. You’re on the air. Jack: We did a lot of drinkin’ on Liberty at damn near every Port.

Buzz: That’s edifying Jack. We’ll move on to Anna May, from Jenkin’s Mill. She’s got a musical message on liberation.

Anna May: Singing in a cracked country voice – “Red Rooster say Cock’a doodle-doodle-do, Richland Woman say, Any dude will do”. Now, ain’t that a ’nother kind’a bein’ free. Richland Woman don’t need no special man tuh make her happy.

Tuck: That’s sassy, Anna May - I wonder if the Kristofferson lyric - “nothin, left to lose”, might have philosophical commonalty with - “Any dude will do”.

Buzz: Yeah - Don’t have nothin’. Don’t care.

Tuck: Sadly summarized and sadly on point; desolately empty versions of liberation. Maybe Ray from Sifton can lift us up with a more elevated point-of-view. Ray will be on the air right after the break.

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Ray: Wouldn’t it be better to worry less about whether you’re free and more about whether you deserve to be free. Nobody’s free. We all have responsibilities. Being responsible makes you free in spirit. You can sleep in peace. You’ve done what you should. You have the freedom of a clear conscience. Liberty is another matter. Authoritarian regimes don’t give you opportunity to do what you should. They force their own rule. Even in the rare instances when it’s a good rule, they deny you the dignity of choosing to do good on your own. Liberty is being free to choose.

Buzz: Right on Ray. You get the last word. We’re out of time. Thanks to all our callers. I guess talking ‘bout Liberty wasn’t as dull as I thought it’d be, or not quite as dull as I thought it’d be.

Tuck: You’re incorrigible. Serious matters may seem dull to you; they still need to be talked about. They’re always worth talking about. Entertainment isn’t everything.

Buzz: Mmm . . .

Tuck: Tune-in tomorrow; we’ll WALTZ again and talk about . . . What’s Up.

By K. L. Shipley

Website: https://www.eclecticessays.com