the State of Wisconsin, the City and County of Milwaukee, my boss, and the nosy old biddie next door. And the local firearms aficionado who sells recreational pharmaceuticals*. All pose an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens.

I'm not a Libertarian because I want all of them off my back, not just the Feds.

A better question would be "which of these poses the most immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens." In my experience, that would almost always be the Municipals. Go on, ask some random plumber to tell you who he's had more grief from: the Feds, or that rat-bastard city inspector?

As for the freedom of white men circa 1970, try showing up at the office with facial hair or the wrong tie. Us guys (well, not really me, cuz I was 10) were free as long as we never stepped off the path, and it was a narrow path with weird kinks in it.

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* It's not so much the vending of recreational pharma that bothers me as the firearms-based business model.

(Edit: closed quote)