You are only as free as you think you are. I have never thought we were really "free" in the U.S. Live a life without harming, stealing, or exploiting anyone, but get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, especially if you are poor, then the illusion of being "free" becomes a nightmare. Just ask the people of Tulia, TX.
Like the illusion of airport security, we have the illusion of being free. Today I was not free to purchase the medication from the pharmacy because I did not government-required permission. I am not free to vacation in Cuba. I am not free to travel without being searched, questioned, and possibly detained. And lately, you are only free to protest bush so long as you do it somewhere that you can't be seen or heard.
I have carried $10k to Vegas before. What if someone got wind of my cash and reported it? Would I have been free to continue? Anonymously? Without delay, search or seizure? Remember, I was a law-abiding citizen that worked for every penny of that money. But had the threads of fortune allowed some "nationalist patriot" to glance into my money bag, let his imagination run, and sound the alarm that I must be either a terrorist, bank robber, drug dealer, or mob member, then what? I doubt I would have been "free".
The war on terrorism exists so that those who are wealthy and powerful can continue to gain more wealth and power at the expense of everyone else. It is not that inventive, industrious, hard-working, or gifted people cannot amass great wealth; it is those who defraud, cheat, steal, and oppress others that I despise. Specifically, I am speaking of the imperialists who are exploiting the people's of other countries, backing it with assassination and war, then masking it in nationalist PR.
The travel ban on Cuba is not about the embargo to punish Cuba, it is about not allowing the seeds of rebellion to grow against Capitalism.
Drug laws are not about any concern for people using drugs, they are purely political. History says that drug laws were passed to deport aliens, restrict minorities, and suppress populist movements. I suspect the current drug laws also give doctors and the pharmaceuticals a restricted monopoly on medicine.
We may be more free than in some countries, but you are only as free as does not clog the machinery.
"Real patriots read, understand, and honor the Constitution!
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/tocs/toc.html - Aubie