WHEW!...

Afflictions of liberty (Tristram Riley-Smith, 2/02/10, The Guardian)

[A]nother feature of this address is just as remarkable – for its absence. The word "liberty" was entirely missing, and the term "freedom" was used only once.

Prior to Obama's election, these terms had been liberally sprinkled over every address for the last 25 years. They ­represent a mission statement for America that has become hardwired into its logic circuitry.

There is no way of knowing if Obama is seeking to wean his fellow citizens off the "f" word. But my analysis of the conflicted state of contemporary US society points to a country that is hooked on freedom – and suffering from the afflictions of liberty. This ideal has grown inflated and unstable, and is now fracturing the society it defines.

The US is not, of course, a Hobbesian dystopia.

...had us worried for a moment there.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 2, 2010 6:33 AM