Our Threatened Freedom

Freedom or Controls

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Political Studies

Lesson: 2-169

Genre: Conversation

Track: 002

Dictation Name: Vol. A – Part 02 – Freedom or Controls

Location/Venue: Unknown

Year: 1980’s – 1990’s

[Dr. Rushdoony] This is R.J. Rushdoony with a report on our threatened freedoms. The issue freedom or controls.

Freedoms of speech and of press are set forth in the 1st Amendment. In recent years, we have seen serious limitations placed on those freedoms, by the courts.

Courts have, in some decisions seriously limited the press and its freedom. Radio and television are extensively controlled by the federal government. In some states securities commissions require all economic newsletters published in the low states to be licensed. Now we can argue with more than a little evidence that the press is often irresponsible and use one-sided reporting. Most of us can recall very telling examples of this.

We should remember, however, that the framers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were well aware of this. Some of the newspapers of their day were worse than anything we can imagine. When George Washington was President, for example, some newspapers went far beyond all decency in attacking him. One especially vicious editor was Benjamin Franklin Bache, the grandson of Franklin. Bache claimed that the humble Washington behaved with all the insolence of an Emperor of Rome. Bache published, among other things, a long attack by Thomas Paine on George Washington. Paine attacked Washington on everything, from fraud to murder, accused him of hypocrisy and worse. Paine was an unbeliever; Washington fasted every Sunday and was a devout man. But Paine accused him of apostasy and Bache published this, and more.

Now the important fact is that neither Washington nor his administration moved to limit the freedom of the press. Why? The reason is simple. Any law passed is easily circumvented by the lawless. The end result of every restrictive law, whether it be to control of the press or gun control, is that it ends up controlling the law abiding, not the lawless.

The law abiding are always the most easily controlled, because all their activities are open and above board.

This is not all. Every law passed ends up meaning far more than the framers intend, because the courts place interpretations on every word that stretch the boundaries of the law, and increase the powers of the state.

But there is still more to this. A controlled communications media and a controlled press mean that it is the responsible agencies whose freedom is limited. The irresponsible agencies are rarely affected. They never invest too much capitol in any operation, and can easily shut down one operation to begin another. We may with good reason dislike much that exists in the press and the communications media; however, if we limit their freedom, we also limit ours.

Laws created to control do not stop controlling; they simply increase their sway to unrecognizable lengths. Some years ago a small Indian tribe on an isolated western reservation had its ancient treaty rights to hunt at will revoked. The reason for it was that the wild ducks they hunted traveled both interstate and internationally.

Controls are a poor substitute for responsibility. The whole point of our Christian faith is to foster the new man in Christ, a responsible man.

George Washington preferred responsibility to controls, and he therefore did not consider controls over a lying and libelous press. Our biblical emphasis on responsibility has gone a long way towards making the United States a great nation.

Today the world generally is choosing controls, rather than freedom, as the way to a good society. All over the world the solution to all problems is seen as another set of laws or controls. Instead of bettering things, the controls only worsen them. The choice is before us. Freedom or controls?