Kathryn Jean Lopez: Freedom and its responsibilities - The Union of Grass Valley

But what is freedom, anyway. Brad Thor, the best-selling novelist whose most recent book is “Code of Conduct,” tells me: “Freedom is the ability to make the choices that I believe are best for myself and my family without the coercion of the state. It is participating in the public square, along with its many competing voices, and competing in the intellectual combat of rigorous debate without fear of reprisal — especially when my speech seeks to limit/turn back the growth of government and... George Nash, author of “The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945,” points us to words spoken by Herbert Hoover on his 74th birthday in 1948:. “The meaning of our word ‘America’ flows from one pure source. Within the soul of America is the freedom of mind and spirit in man. Thomas Joseph White, a Dominican priest, says: “Freedom has its root in our desire for happiness. It is the amazing capacity we have to seek the truth concerning what is genuinely good for ourselves and others, to distinguish it from what is harmful or evil, and to pursue what will make us happy with wisdom and effectiveness. Freedom is what allows us to love other persons, and to be loved by them, to love the truth above all things, and to broach the mystery of God, with both genuine questioning and joyful reverence. Source: www.theunion.com