Most of you are just plain WRONG.

Yes, you read that correctly. I'm right and you're wrong. At least some and probably most of you.

See, you run around like some modern day Patrick Henry, with your AR-15 and camo paint, yelling "Give me liberty! Or give me death!"

And you know what? If you like your liberty, you can keep it! Period.

Wow. Did I just say that?

Yep. And basically, its because of what I believe constitutes a "right". There are 'free' animals running around all over the place. In fact, I just watched my dog chase a squirrel up a tree. The squirrel is completely free, if by completely, it means no one tells it what to do. It eats or starves, stays warm or freezes, according to its own actions.. And my dog enjoys the 'freedom' of the fenced in yard. But he is limited in his ability to provide for himself based on physical restrictions, but he pretty much does whatever the hell he wants within the confines of those restraints. I enjoy the 'freedom' of existing among my fellow human beings, but only to the degree that I comport myself with respect to the 'rights' of others.

The difference between my freedom and my dog's freedom, is not in degree, its in dignity and morality. I do not humiliate my dog by having a penned in yard anymore than the squirrel humiliates him by running up a tree where he can't follow. Morally, I am keeping my dog safe, and providing him everything he needs to exist. Food, water, shelter.

If I beat my dog, which of course I don't, but for the sake of argument, let's assume I do. Regularly.

In that scenario, my dog would cringe away from me, try to run away, and behave in a negative way to my advances.

If I treat my dog with dignity, understanding, and morality, it probably means that I am a proper dog owner who loves his pet.

But the dog himself doesn't know that my behavior in the first case is wrong. He just knows that when I come around, he hurts. And in the second case, he knows that he gets scratched, petted, and has food and water whenever he wants.

But in either scenario, he has no concept of dignity. He's a dog. He doesn't care that he eats disgusting dog food and shits where everyone can see. He doesn't care if his coat is dirty or clean. (He does care if I don't give him his flea bath though!)
He has no more understanding of the fact that his 'liberty' is curtailed, than the squirrel understands it is 'free'.

I don't particularly want 'liberty' or 'freedom'. I want dignity. The 'right' to hold my head up and show that I can take care of myself and my family. I want to be self sufficient to the point that I am not dependent on another entity, whether man or government, to take care of me. If I am unable to provide for my needs, I will starve or freeze. If I need help, and we all do at one time or another, I can choose how much of my dignity its worth to admit I failed. Or none. I want the freedom the squirrel enjoys. While knowing I'm enjoying it. I want privacy. One of the first thing prisoners experience, whether in our penal system or as a prisoner of war, is loss of privacy, and dignity.

"Strip, shower, toilet's in the corner." If a toilet is provided.....

There is a reason for this. First and formost, it teaches the prisoner that he is no longer free!

So, yeah. You keep running around in your camo yelling give me liberty. As for me:

GIVE ME DIGNITY, OR GO FUCK YOURSELF!