[verity]

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

The deceased Ben Franklin certainly had no concept of WMD. Thus 'a little temporary Safety' is not applicable!

[FreeTally]

The deceased Ben Franklin certainly had no concept of WMD. Thus 'a little temporary Safety' is not applicable!

Maybe we should have thought of that before we helped the rest of the world develope WMD's.

[sam_paine]

The deceased Ben Franklin certainly had no concept of WMD. Thus 'a little temporary Safety' is not applicable!

That's an interesting posit, but I wonder if it's strictly true. In the dark ages, siege engines catapulted plague ridden corpses into fortified cities in an effort to infect the defenders. Obviously, the history of biological warfare predates Mr. Franklin, and as an educated man, either he or his military compatriots such as Washington would've at the very least, "had some concept of WMD." Maybe not nuclear weapons, but certainly I would be interested in researching his thoughts on the subject of civilian oppression during wartime.

[JohnGalt]

Ah, yes, the new movement in Conservatism called 'Living Forefathers." The liberals and their living Consitution have ruined your ability to see that the wisdom of the forefathes is timeless...that is what makes us Americans and you a Tory.

[alphadog]

"The deceased Ben Franklin certainly had no concept of WMD. Thus 'a little temporary Safety' is not applicable!

He also had no concept of computers, the internet, TV or talk radio...so we should suspend the first amendment?...just a thought.