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I have long mulled over Franklin's remark, "A republic, if you can keep it." The more I dwell upon it and what he may have meant by it, the more I become convinced that he saw the delicate and absolutely necessary balance between liberty and morality, and how if either side of that equation were tampered with, the other would be undone.

I usually avoid the "drug warrior" threads, but the WOD probably serves as the best illustration of this concept. Certainly, no moral person wants to see pervasive drug abuse and addiction throughout society, and addicts truly worship a false god by allowing a substance to become the center of their existence. Having said that, draconian laws and police practices instituted in response have seriously undermined our liberties. It's symptomatic of the dilemma Franklin saw.