Posted on 07/18/2004 8:51:39 PM PDT by JFD3
This Is No Time For Libertarian Nonsense
By Jim Delinis http://www.freedominion.ca
Of all the tiresome political talking points to emerge post-September 11, the civil libertarians have been by far the most tiresome. Attorney General Ashcroft went to great pains to please this group in the original anti-terror bill (the PATRIOT Act) only be to painted as the Devil Incarnate.
There is a lesson to learn in all of this. The Civil Libertarians are a relic of a time that has long since past. They, in the name of freedom and commerce, continually stand in the way of much-needed measures that aim to insure that every American has the opportunity to live free lives and pursue commerce.
One of the major faults I have with the Bush Adminstration is that while it has made excellent strides, it has not gone nearly as far as it should have to root out terrorists in the mainland United States because it listens to these libertarians. The PATRIOT Act takes some good first steps, but that particular act is badly in need of a supplementary law to complete what PATRIOT started.
If the United States Congress were serious about protecting this country, it would explore:
· A National Identification Card · A Domestic Intelligence Service · Greater video surveillance at major cities and airports · Greater monitoring of international communication done by online methods like e-mail · The monitoring of all news services, news websites, and movies for messages and biases that encourage sympathy with terrorists or terrorist sympathizers.
We live in a Hobbesian state of nature, and now, in this time of great threat, is when the citizenry should increase the amount of personal sovereignty it gives to the government in exchange for personal safety. Without personal security, as Hobbes noted, there is no room for Arts or Literature, Industry or Commerce. Without security that can only be granted by the types of measures listed above, the life of Americans will be nasty, brutish and short.
This is not the time to listen to libertarian nonsense that is better suited for a time when men rode horseback. This is the time to recognize the dangers Americans face and take the measures that would respond accordingly.
Papers please...comrade...
"the citizenry should increase the amount of personal sovereignty it gives to the government in exchange for personal safety. "
GAG !! With oxymoronic friends who think like that we will never survive our enemys.
LOL, this must be a joke post.
Welcome to FR, BTW...
Well,Libertarians,whether large or small L,are a peculiar lot.
Sieg Heil!
So are fascists, for that matter.
-Well,Libertarians,whether large or small L,are a peculiar lot.-
We don't invite the government to solve all our problems, much less ensnare us into a police state. Peculiar, you think ? I call it sane, and so did the Founders of our Nation who forsaw this sort of crap coming and demanded a Bill of Rights.
Now, even so-called conservatives find the limits on government to be dangerous to Americans.
Head for the hills, it is not only socialists who wish to destroy America anymore. It is americans.
The United Kingdom has all the measures I advocate except the National ID, yet they are still a free society.
Dammit, I don't want the terrorists to use our own freedom against us to kill us. Urban centres should be monitored by cameras.
"We don't invite the government to solve all our problems"
We can't have a free market economy without protecting the populace, without the Rule of Law. It is a reasonable bargain.
Excellent points. Let's just hope the Republicans aren't out burning any black churches tonight, too!
-Dammit, I don't want the terrorists to use our own freedom against us to kill us.-
and do away with our Freedom is your answer to that ?
Putting cameras in major urban centres, or giving an American M16 the power to monitor sketchy activity by NON citizens is not what you describe.
"Those that trade liberty for preceived security deserve neither liberty, nor security" - Ben Franklin.
-Let's just hope the Republicans aren't out burning any black churches tonight, too!-
Why do you say such a thing as that ?
Dammit, I don't want the terrorists to use our own freedom against us to kill us
I'm more weary of jackbooted thugs than terrorists. Just wait till political opponents are considered 'terrorists' if some nut like John Kerry wins.
Even Tony Blair said in the House of Commons, where I got this phrase, "this is no time for libertarian nonsense."
You think the UK is safer from terrorism than is the US?
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