...and that "insecurity" is a good thing, because it's insecurity that leads to freedom. Nonetheless, there are plenty of groups who want to get rid of that insecurity, which is even scarier.

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.en.html

http://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/lockdown.html

http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/civilwar.html

"Perfect security is a good idea only to those for whom freedom is worth nothing."

How are Cory's predictions going? Apple dropped their TPM (without ever even using it), UEFI Secure Boot still allows you to put your own keys even on the most vertically integrated platforms (like the Surface), you can buy plenty of consumer routers that are already running DD-WRT and can be easily flashed with whatever you fancy, Nexus devices still let you unlock the bootloader, and Apple now lets you compile and run apps for your iPhone without a developer's license. Even consumer GPUs are easily programmable now.

In what way have any general purpose computers become less general purpose since the hysteria about the war on general purpose computers started?

It is, and it is not.

The only sane way is personal security and freedom, where your device is sold to you unlocked or trivially unlockable, with vendor as default trusted party - sure, and you can arm the security to make device obey only your commands, but no one else (including device original vendor), even if you're tricked (malware-shipping wifi hotspots, fake chargers, etc) or lose physical contact with the device.