Locals sound off about freedom

STAFF WRITER

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For Portales resident Donna Labatt, America isn’t just the land of opportunity, it’s also the land of possibilities.

“Other countries don’t have it as well as we do,” she said. “If you don’t have freedom, you don’t have life.”

Labatt said freedom means she has the opportunity to make and act on any choices and decisions without having to explain or justify herself.

Portales resident Jon Barr said that freedom gives people the capability of being in charge of their own destiny, and fellow resident Kayla Qualls said you should be able to celebrate that without worry of offending other people.

“Freedom means being able to make your own choices in life without having someone telling you that it is right or wrong, even if it is,” she said.

Clovis police Sgt. Daron Roach said freedom “would be the foundation of America. That’s what forefathers set for us, the way it was meant to be.”

Veteran Joe Blair of Portales pointed out many of those choices.

“You can choose what church you want to attend, you can practice your religion where you want, and you have freedom of speech,” he said. “We don’t need to have a passport to go from one state to another, and we can shop at home to support our local people.”

Clovis Mayor David Lansford said, “It’s an incredible way of life for those of us who enjoy the freedom that has been provided to us by those who have come before us and those who defend our freedoms today. The Bill of Rights and Constitution that was established over 200 years ago still protects us today and allows us to live in a society that respects individual liberty.

“That, to me,” said Lansford, “is incredibly important. It’s paramount for life to be experienced at its ultimate best, it is in a free society where individual liberties and individual liberties are protected by the law, that’s first and foremost on my mind on a very regular basis.”

Veteran Chuck Herrington agreed that freedom allows him to feel good about his choices.

“I am able to be at home with my family and not have to worry about outside attacks,” he said. “I can take my family wherever I want, I can live wherever I choose to, and I can work where I want to work.”

Keith Ingram of Portales said freedom gives him the ability to make decisions on things he would like to do long scale or on a daily basis without any control or interference from anyone else.

For Portales resident Juan Cabrera, freedom means living without restrictions.

“I think you should be allowed to live the way that you want to as long as you are not harming others,” he said. “I believe freedom should be free for everyone.”

Portales resident Rose Kelly said every time we celebrate the Fourth of July, it is because of the brave men and women that fought for our freedom.

“They fought so we could live without having to worry about bombers flying overhead and people policing where we live,” she said. “That is what comes to mind when I think of the flag.”

Kelly said when she hears the national anthem on base and has to stop to salute, it helps her to continue to think about freedom and how it was achieved.

“We have so much in this country that other people can’t even imagine having,” said Labatt. “I don’t know of anyone who is fleeing America, but people are risking their lives to get here, and that speaks volumes.”

Deputy Editor Brittney Canon contributed to this story.