Your liberty just as important as mine

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for September 10, 2025)

Caring about people means caring about their liberty.

Liberty is a universal principle. It isn’t just for me, those I like, or those who agree with me. It’s for everyone or it’s not liberty at all. If I didn’t care about people, I would demand my rights while trampling yours; anything to get my way. But that’s not liberty; it’s tyranny dressed up with moralizing words.

Liberty is the foundation of a life worth living. It’s the ability to make your own choices, pursue your own happiness, protect your own property, and build your future without anyone’s boot on your neck. It’s a two-way street. My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins. If I claim my liberty while ignoring yours, I’m not defending liberty- I’m being selfish; a bully. True liberty means recognizing that your rights matter as much as mine do, no matter how deeply we might disagree.

Consider how this plays out. If I want to speak my mind, but I demand someone censors you, I’m not defending liberty- I’m undermining it. Or property rights. I can’t demand the right to use my land as I see fit while ignoring your right to do the same. When government steps in to control one of us, it’s not just an attack on them- it’s a threat to us all. Liberty is interconnected; erode it for one, and it crumbles for everyone.

This isn’t theoretical philosophy- it’s practical reality. In every state in America, we see how government overreach stifles liberty. From burdensome regulations on small businesses to rules that chip away at self-defense rights, the pattern is clear. When someone’s liberty is violated, it sets a precedent for everyone else to be violated. If I'm smug when the “other guy” has his rights violated because I don’t like him, I’m giving government a pass to use against me next.

Caring about liberty means standing up for people you might not even like. It’s defending the rights of the loudmouth you can’t stand, the annoying neighbor, or the stranger whose choices you don’t understand. Why? Because their liberty protects yours. If I let yours be trampled, I’m inviting the same fate for myself.

So, no, I won’t demand my rights at the expense of yours. I’ll fight for both, because liberty isn’t a zero-sum game. It’s the only way we all thrive. Anything less is just selfishness cosplaying as principle.

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