Posted on 06/19/2002 11:33:59 AM PDT by sheltonmac
Those worrying about the erosion of liberty in this time of crisis often quote Benjamin Franklin, who said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." The problem with this advice is that it is well over two centuries old, and no one back then could have imagined the dangers we face today. We are at war and should be expected to sacrifice some liberty for safety.
According to a national poll taken recently by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, seven out of 10 Americans said that they would give up at least some of their civil liberties to improve security. That shouldn't be at all surprising considering the magnitude of the terrorist threat to our nation as well as the rest of the free world.
The same poll showed that about 90 percent of Americans favor having more police assigned to patrol public areas. 70 percent believe that there should be a law requiring adults to carry a national ID card with their photograph and Social Security number, and roughly half support the idea of random police searches in public places.
It is clear that most of America is behind the president in his effort to eradicate terrorism. The few individuals who are not seem to be those who are clinging too tightly to their precious Constitution. They refuse to give up even the smallest right, when doing so might mean the difference between victory and defeat.
These people, whether they realize it or not, are the terrorists' strongest allies in this war. Any attempt to detract from the plans of our president and his administration is tantamount to treason. If they can't learn the concept of "go along to get along," they need to be silenced. This war needs to be won-no matter what the cost.
When terrorists attacked our shores on Sept. 11, the fear-mongers immediately launched into their tirades against U.S. foreign policy, particularly our support for Israel. They talked about how the actions of our "empire" fueled the hatred of Islamic fundamentalists and how we should adopt a more isolationist position on global matters. All this, of course, is nonsense.
While the United States may have been able to avoid foreign entanglements at one time, we must realize that this is the 21st Century. This is not the world our forefathers knew. The Constitution may have been good enough for a fledgling nation 200 years ago, but we must evolve beyond such a narrow worldview if we hope to remain a global superpower.
Ronald Reagan once called us to be a "city on a hill," a place upon which all eyes of the world would be cast. If we allow a dusty old document like the Constitution to prevent us from doing what is necessary, we shall lose the respect of those who look to our nation as an example of greatness. No, we must maintain our lofty position in the world, and if that means behaving like an empire, so be it. The only alternative would be to succumb to terrorism, and that cannot be an option.
We need to be more positive. We need to be more supportive of our government, especially now. The president should not be criticized for doing his duty as Commander in Chief. Yet, through it all, there are those who not only see the glass of liberty as half-empty, they see it as the wrong beverage. This unpatriotic attitude was evident when President Bush signed the Patriot Act into law.
I feel I should point out that when President Bush signed the Patriot Act, he was doing what nearly half of all registered voters who actually bothered to vote elected him to do-lead. The people of this nation wanted a leader with an iron resolve and this president has shown that he is the man for the job. Rather than get behind the spirit of the Patriot Act, some disgruntled people would rather focus on the ambiguous aspects of the legislation and live in fear of the worst-case scenario.
As the poll above shows, this administration is merely doing the will of the people. Doing anything else would not bode well for the GOP this November. It would also hurt the president's chances of getting re-elected in 2004, and ensuring his re-election is absolutely vital to winning this war on terror. No other politician has shown such dedication and strength of character. Honestly, I shudder to imagine where this country would be without President Bush at the helm.
To those who insist on holding firm to the Constitution and making the government's job harder than it has to be, let me remind you that WE ARE AT WAR. Get behind the president and show your support. All of your worries are unfounded. If history is any indication, every civil liberty you give up now will be promptly restored once this war is over. That's a promise.
Liberty is overrated. Safety is what counts during times of crisis. After all, how can liberty be enjoyed if one cannot feel safe?
Liberty is something we as Americans hold as our birthright for living on the soil between the Atlantic, Pacific, Canada, Mexico, and in Alaska & Hawaii. Even Puerto Rico is covered in our "policy".
It is NOT extended to those who do not live on our soil (Islamic Terrorists) and if there are those among us who want to harm the liberty they were so fortunate to have been awarded just for being born here THAT, in and of itself is a forfeiture of such liberty.
To these two groups (Islamic terrorists & traitors), burn them at the stake, hang them in front of firing squads, hack them into itty bitty pieces, and if the leftist PC crowd runs to their aid, lump them in with the traitors!!!
That's a home truth, brother. And we need helmets, too.
LOL!
But those of you who are unwilling to effectively deal with potentially horrendous consequences - will you still feel the same after another 10,000 deaths? ...
100,000?
1,000,000?
10,000,000? ...
While I realize that this is meant as cynical satire, it brings to mind another quote from the era. Both should be considered as relevant today as they were over 200 years ago. “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” —Samuel Adams
These idiots deserve to be sent back in time. Perhaps to 1936 germany as a jew or a gypsy so he can ponder how libertry is over-rated. Maybe they could be sent to Stalin's old USSR so he can see how a paranoid state deals with over-rated liberty in the name of safety.
Somebody stop these morons before they reproduce. There should be a fund to make sure they get a vasectomy or have their tubes tied.
You cited some of the differences which make the comment about today ridiculous. But you left out the most obvious:
Today we have an enemy almost all of whose warriors are visibly no part of the American mainstream. In Franklin's time, we had an enemy that was both the most powerful nation on earth at the time, with partisans that were indistinguishable in appearance from the Americans, and with a sizeable army of occupation marching around the original States at will. Franklin would have laughed long and loudly about the "dangers we face." Then he would have written an essay on courage, liberty, immigration and common sense, that would have put today's politicians in their ridiculous place.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site
10,000 deaths?
100,000?
1,000,000?
10,000,000?
You’ll need to your final number by ten again, if you want to approach the number of citizens killed by their own too-powerful governments this century.
Then will you feel safer?
Look, can't we all just agree to wear helmets or something?
And goggles. We’ll need safety goggles too.
And so thought the Jews in the Ghetto's.
Don't worry, the shower will do you good.
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