Back on the old fight-or-flight dilemma.
The two main choices I see are, stay in the US and face a civil war to get the government to respect the freedoms guaranteed by the constitution; or move somewhere that the freedoms aren't being taken away.
The former strategy is championed by the Tea Party movement, the 3 percenters, many veterans, and many conservative bloggers. Note that there are wide intersections among these groups.
The latter was championed by the famous Libertarian author Harry Browne, and the ideas are still being spread by many including Sovereign Man AKA Simon Black.
I'm disinclined to stay and fight because I own no land in the US and have no desire to do so. Many in the freedom movement believe strongly in land ownership and call anyone who lives on or hunts on public lands, or unposted private lands, a "moocher". And to a large extent I agree with that, although my desire to survive often overrides my intellectual objections. Plus, I'm not sold on the idea that land should be owned. That concept is pretty much confined to "civilized", or agricultural, societies and has little meaning outside of that construct. And then there is this quote by H. L. Mencken, who is a favorite of freedom-minded folks. There is something to be said for not forcing freedom on a people who wish to be slaves.
As for the second strategy, there really aren't a lot of palatable choices. Somalia has a lot of political freedom, but tribal laws and conflicts can make life difficult, particularly when meddling Western states are trying to impose a national government. Thailand has some good selling points, as does Brazil. My personal favorite is currently Svalbard, a semi-autonomous zone established by treaties on some islands in the Arctic. But I'm not likely able to convince a certain someone to move to any of those places. Plus, is it morally correct to run away and find freedom when others have to fight for it?
Wait a minute... the founding fathers fled to what is now the US for a fresh start, didn't they now? Hmmmm...
last updated 2013-03-07 18:20:55. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com