To consider

One of my all-time favorite quotations is a one by the German priest Martin Niemöller, which fell into the hands of the Nazis when speaking a little too freely in their opinion.

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

These words still have a very strong message for modern-people in "free" countries. Every single day the government tries to restrict our freedom in this way and that, and every time we don't bother too much to protest because it's not really affecting us. Or is it?

I live in Iceland. I can pretty much say whatever I want, but there are exceptions. Recently a man was found guilty on criminal charges because he spoke a little "too" freely about black people in Africa. He said they were lazy. He became a criminal. But there's more: I can't speak publicly about tobacco in Iceland, except to warn against its harmful effects. Not a bad law? I mean, tobacco is un-healthy isn't it? And of course black people in Africa are not lazy, right? Well, that is completely besides the point. The Earth is round, but what has that to do with the law, and not with free speech?

Whenever we accept freedom-restrictions like the ones I mentioned, we put the taste of blood in the mouths of those who feel the great need to use the government to control this and that. I've heard of all kinds of ridiculous suggestions made by such blood-needing people. Some simply want to ban fast-food restaurants near schools because kids are getting fatter. Wouldn't that be a good thing? Others claim that the government should forever and ever be the only seller and distributor of alcohol and tobacco. I mean, isn't it un-healthy for us anyway? Still others now say that the media should not under any circumstances be owned by "too few" individuals or companies. Exactly what that means seems to be a more of a debate that the "fact" that there is need for those laws. And of course the list is endless. The taste of blood has been passed out, and not the cannibals of freedom seek fresh pray to extend their lives with.

Someone once made the very good point to state that God himself only seemed to need 10 commandments to ensure a civil society of honest and hard-working people. Why do we then need so many more?