OK GOP Chairman, Dave Weston, hosted a Townhall in Cherokee County yesterday. We thank him for coming out to Cherokee County as part of his 77 county tour.
Dave Weston spoke at the beginning of June at the District 2 GOP Meeting. At this meeting he said the following,
There are a lot of people pushing the wrong kind of Liberty in our State. Liberty is not doing what you want. It is doing what you should.
That quote above left me kind of flabbergasted. It’s as if someone hasn’t read the dictionary. So, because I had not met Mr. Weston yet, I wanted to go to the Townhall and meet him for myself and see what he had to say.
I was not surprised, but I was incredibly disgusted as I sat and listened to Chairman Weston when he started his speech on Thursday and laid out his basis for everything:
True freedom is doing what you ought to do. False freedom is doing what you want to do.
After going over this concept thoroughly and speaking of this in great detail, someone had to chime in and say something. There was much discussion, civil, yet good discussion, at the Cherokee County Townhall. I was very appreciative of that. Our state committeewoman, Ezriyah, asked Mr. Weston the question, “If liberty means doing what someone else thinks you should do, then what is fascism?” Mr. Weston was speechless and after a few seconds said, “Fascism?” He then proceeded to “answer” her question, but never answered the question.
There was a lot more discussion in the Townhall and I was very glad we had good discussion, since so many times there is no discussion at Townhall-type of meetings.
But, we have a big problem when the Republican Party state chairman does not even understand what liberty and freedom means. Let’s just look at the Webster dictionary definition of these two words:
Liberty: The quality or state of being free : the power to do as one pleases
Freedom: the quality or state of being free : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
Just for reference, let’s also add the definitions of a few other words: Fascism, Obligation and Duty.
Fascism: a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.
Obligation: something one is bound to do.
Duty: : obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one’s position (as in life or in a group) b (1) : assigned service or business (2) : active military service (3) : a period of being on duty : a moral or legal obligation : the force of moral obligation.
Liberty and Freedom are extremely basic, fundamental concepts. The Republican Party is supposed to stand for freedom and individual rights. I don’t see any freedom, liberty and individual rights when someone states that this is liberty: “Liberty is not doing what you want. It is doing what you should.” That is duty and obligation. When this redefined “Liberty” comes from the government, we are looking at a push for fascism.
As the Vice Chair of the Republican Party for Cherokee County, I stand for true freedom and true liberty and the Truth. As a state party, I do not believe our Party will grow and continue to win if we promote statist notions and authoritarianism that tells people what kind of liberty and what kind of freedom they can have. That is disgusting. It is one of our nation’s problems – which is promoted by both Parties. It is not liberty. It is not freedom. And this Vice Chair will not support a state chairman who redefines the definition of liberty and freedom.
You can listen to the audio of the townhall for yourself on our YouTube channel here.
Qadoshyah Fish
Cherokee County Republican Party 
“The bible says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” II Cor. 3:17 My limited understanding of this passage has grown over the years, but I would encourage everyone to ponder that the ability to be truly free comes from the Lord God. He is the only one who can set us free from the bondage of sin and death.
And yet even our Creator God, the one who made us all, gave us freedom to choose to follow Him and His instructions or not (read about the garden of eden).
Can our government do any less IF we espouse liberty at all with any level of sincerity?
Set the captives free to serve the Lord or not, but remember that actions have consequences. They just do, because that is the way it is!
Excellent article! Thanks for exposing this mentality & calling it out for what it really is. This party & country are in big trouble if our leaders don’t start honoring the true liberty & freedom this country was founded on. Keep speaking up!
Have you looked up Liberty in the 1828 dictionary. It’s a bit fuller in there and very interesting to see how our words have been simplified and dumbed down.
http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/search/word,Liberty
Your comment prompted me to do this little post on my blog — thank you!
So what does his point end up being? What is he trying to convince us that we are obliged to do?
Basically as I understood it the point was that we must stand strong as a party on things like defining marriage for others, helping others not make bad decisions, that sort of stuff.
Others rightfully in my opinion pointed out that we as a party need to be focusing on fiscal conservatism and limited government not the social issues if we want to grow the party. Mr. Weston was not keen on that notion as we have to keep fighting those fights or the Democrats will win.
This is the kind of thing that motivated me to resign from the Republican Party and register as an Independent.
This is why the Republican party cannot be trusted on the subject of freedom. It is also why the Republicans are losing their powerbase. Every time that they advance this kind of Orwellian “Fascism is Freedom” garbage, they alienate more potential allies.
It is the reason my wife and I are both Libertarian. At least THEY don’t tell us we’re going to hell because we love one another…
Yeah, we happen to be lesbian, and yet, somehow, we support gun ownership, freedom of thought, freedom of speech and self-determination. We support minimal government, but the GOP can’t seem to look past our bedroom, and thanks to the GOP selling out to certain religions back during the Reagan era, won’t even tolerate our presence, or acknowledge our right to live.
So now some of them are actively teaching that Fascism is Freedom? How utterly unsurprising that hey have embraced the Democratic party’s agenda.
That is very discouraging as I will have no one tell me how to live. Is there a wrong kind of liberty? ” He will be here in Okc. on August 24th. How do we get him to lose a wager and then have to read,”Liberty Defined” by Ron Paul.
I think that the chairman has dug his own grave with this statement. I would think that the good people of Oklahoma would see the light to show this man the door. All it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing. Shame on this un-american man. He and those like him are the reason that the GOP has lost its way and until common sense prevails to remove this man from any further influence within the party. I studied the history of Germany and the more I see of individuals like him I know that the mentality of the Nazi regime is alive and well in the USA.
Pingback: This Week in Liberty News – June 22, 2013 | Standard Excellence
Pingback: How an Oklahoma GOP Leader Defines Freedom and Liberty - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - City-Data Forum
Being a Christian Constitutional conservative in the Republican party at this time in our nation has caused me to think on so many of the very valid and largely agreed upon by me, Libertarian views. Federalism being the strongest. End the Fed & U.N. right there as well!
As I thought about our Republic as founded and the philosophy put forth in our Decl. of Indep., that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator (God of the Christian bible) with certain unalienable Rights…, I came to this opinion about what Liberty in America was and is supposed to be…
Freedom (Free Will) + Responsibility (to God first, 2nd to mankind,) = Liberty
Catherine,
You expressed unity with Republicans on a majority of issues, except “social” republicans. Would it not be irresponsible to NOT vote for, and help to strengthen the party who mostly represents your views?
1. Self Defense is a well recognized God given right. resulting in the 2nd amend. protection of it Constitutionally. Infringed by Dems. & moderatel Repubs.
2. freedom of thought (expression) has not been infringed YET (oh wait! the Democrats of San Antonio,Tx. City Council have just set into motion a law that will DISCRIMINATE against anyone who is ANTI homosexual in thought. Free speech
(1st amend.) also infringed ie. Hate Speech, Hate Crimes again, by both Dems. & Repubs, Again, God given well recognized protected rights in our country. Your right to self-determination is subjective, so I can’t speak to it.
So, “social” Repubs believe in their “God, guns and bible” Constitutionally protected rights, and don’t, won’t and can’t support the desire to overturn centuries of societal norms on traditional marriage you will withdraw your support for a party that affords you the most freedoms you do desire? The party that is pro-life, and pro-marriage should be cast off to suit your pleasures, with intolerance given to those who disagree? I can’t look back in America’s history to see the rounding up or physically hurting of groups of homosexuals that would necessitate this “forced with man-made law” upon citizens who disagree with the lifestyle. Heteros met homos with polite tolerance, and “you” wish to meet us with force or take your ball home and not play”?
Government and governance is a recognized NECESSARY evil of every society that has ever been. Who would we have govern/rule over America if we can not stand with a party who holds to “self-evident truths that come from mankind’s Creator”, as founded? Truths that cause Christian conservs to tolerate at best, attempt to politely speak God’s word, or to shun at worst? Are those to be the “intolerable Acts” that we should lose our commonalities with one another? Those who disagree with a lifestyle yet would champion aside you, your and our right to Freedom (Free will) + Responsibility (1st to God, 2nd to man), giving birth to Liberty, as founded here in America?
IMO the Democrats have become the champion voice of every “victim” they seek to make into one, in order to further their own sought after destruction of the so called ” horrors of America” as founded or should I say still need so much “evolving”‘ to overcome these “horrors”.
Republican reps.(too many) have lost their way and so many have blended into liberal progressives that care not for or against the destruction of America, just the lining of their pockets with money, prestige and power.
Libertarians (some) seem not to see the errors of the French Revolution in that after they threw off a tyrannical gov’t, they failed in providing a lasting replacement in that they sought Liberty, Equality and Fraternity (all relied upon “good men” having “shared values”, which fell apart and did not last). America, after throwing off the King crafted Liberty, and Justice (Rule of God’s Law), instituted among men who are prone to becoming evil and wicked. Relying on the citizenry to hold shared value in “self evident truth” and elect men of good principles and character to represent them. Honest, thrifty, self sacrificing, courageous, humble, intelligent, wise etc., all of which are revealed truth’s of what is good and what is not in God’s Word. I know, I know, Ron Paul was all of these things but he did not get elected and we must wipe the tears, and look for a preponderance of these traits in others. Realizing that someone may be new, someone may take a wrong vote now and again, say something a wrong way. But look for and hope to find a true constitutional liberty mindedness in our representatives and get behind them.
In summation I hope to see all Americans look to the longest standing Constitutional Republic ever to be instituted. One that brought the most opportunity and happiness to the individual and the posterity that they so deeply cared enough to fight for and bequeath this heritage to, and as a result made us the greatest nation on earth and in all the history of mankind. And honestly search out the reasons as to why this was and seek a return to it. We all ought to join together in every point of agreement that we can, and work hard to see it restored.
Pingback: One Year Ago Today: Reflections on the RNC | Cherokee County Republican Party
Pingback: Republican Civil War: IRS/NSA Scandals raise Grassroots popularity as Democratic Party Establishment intervenes | The Subsidiarity Times
Pingback: Criticizing Republican Officials & Politicians: Dave Weston | Cherokee County Republican Party
Pingback: I believe in Freedom