We used to be Free - before Nanny Government

By Executive Order the mayor of San Francisco has banned soft drinks and flavored waters from all vending machines on public property. Posting Executive Orders banning everything from drilling oil wells to fishing in the Gulf of Mexico seems to be the new Orwellian way of implementing departmentalized marshal law in these United States. Remember the good ole days when the people actually voted for those things they wanted or rejected?

Last year the government banned the sale of all books printed before 1985. There was a chance some lead in the print might come in contact with people's skin. Of course, this means I am doomed. Hundreds upon hundreds of volumes have surrounded me for most of my adult life. I have only lived a portion of those years of what could have been a century long run if it were not for poison books.

One reason for my short lifespan could be all the lead based paint on the houses and in the rooms where I resided growing to manhood. Before nanny government stepped in I had this lead based death threat forced upon my person by evil business operators. While on this topic I can't forget the lead in the gasoline, the dozens of lead soldiers I played with as a boy, the lead paint on my bicycles, and all of the lead sinkers I used when I went fishing. No wonder I can never become a centurion.

The government banned religious groups from displaying Christian crosses in the Obama inauguration parade. Christian symbols were also banned from the White House Christmas tree. Nativity Scenes and the Ten Commandments have been banned from the public square. Children in schools have even been forbidden to sing religious hymns at Christmas events.

As previously noted, we all know about the government banning oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska and the ban on fishing, shrimping and shellfish harvesting. There has even been a ban of foreign boats helping to clean up the oil slick and a ban on chemical dispersants. Burning off the oil has been severely restricted.

For some, government mandates are almost as troublesome as those things it bans. For most of my adult years I could use or not use a seat belt. It was my choice until nanny government stepped in. Now I must use one under force of law. My son grew up riding in the back of a station wagon with no seat belt and no child safety seat. He made it with no government assistance. Now all children must be restrained in a government approved seat.

As a boy I enjoyed some great cheeses from around the world. My father was a cheese lover and often brought them home for us to sample. Now, some of the world's finest cheeses cannot be imported, because the milk used is not pasteurized. In truth, the danger of getting sick from raw milk is about on par with getting sick from eating raw oysters.

We all know about the bans on smoking, drinking, drugs and other sinful or harmful practices. Our government has decided it is the overseer of all things that are suitable for its citizens. While it stops the use of these harmful ingestible habits, it has also decided that the word God, prayer in school, wearing American patriotic clothing, pictures of guns and anything shaped like a pill are equally bad for people in need to be banned from public sites.

The point of this silly rant is quite simple... as Americans we do not need our every action, like or dislike decided by a government that has an unbelievably poor track record of getting anything done right. Parents should decide what is good, right or fair for their children. Adults should be able to make their own choices, free of government instruction or guidance.

Remember, freedom does not vanish in one harsh moment. It is lost one step, one inch, one act, one day at a time.

Semper Fidelis

Thomas D. Segel

tomsegel@sbcglobal.net