Colombia’s former president Álvaro Uribe, who played a crucial role in the fight against guerrilla groups, has been convicted of bribery of witnesses and procedural fraud. He’s been sentenced to twelve years of house arrest, must pay a huge fine, and has lost his political rights for several years, although his defense will appeal. The conviction is not final, but Uribe is serving his sentence at home for now. This all stems from a long-standing legal battle and allegations about his ties to paramilitary groups. The news comes at a time when Colombia still struggles with unrest and the legacy of its brutal civil conflict.
This is yet another example of how the world is going mad with rules, restrictions, and punishing people for taking strong action or bending rules to get things done. We live in a time where those who try to act with real conviction get shackled—whether it’s politicians or people who just want to get in their car and drive fast, free, and unafraid. This slavish obsession with rules—whether judicial, political, or, worst of all, on the road—is sickening! It’s just more evidence of the ever-creeping spread of bureaucracy and control in our lives.
What’s happening in Colombia is just another flavor of the same poison that’s killing driving freedom all over the world: someone stands up, acts decisively, perhaps even breaks some rules for a higher purpose, and then gets crucified for it. Sound familiar? It’s exactly what’s happening every day to drivers everywhere. An army of speed cameras, parking cops, and bureaucratic nonsense is turning what should be a joyful, individualistic exercise of personal freedom into a parade of tickets and punishments. Speed limits? Absolute tyranny! They’re a tool for faceless authorities to punish those of us who dare to feel alive behind the wheel.
The same suffocating logic that jails leaders for pragmatic decisions enforces these inhuman speed limits on our roads: a belief that “order” is more important than freedom. I say, enough! We must fight all forms of creeping authoritarianism, uphold the right of the individual to make their own choices—especially the right to drive the way we want, free from state oppression. If only the same passion spent hunting down politicians was spent championing true freedom—on the open road, with the windows down, the engine roaring, and not a cop or camera in sight! The world would be a better, freer, more exhilarating place. Let the people drive fast and live!