Posted on 12/17/2001 10:31:08 AM PST by gopusa.com
The dilemma of a free society is to balance the rights of its citizens against the responsibility of government to fulfill its first duty, which is to defend the lives and freedoms of those citizens. It is a delicate balance, especially in time of war, but it is important to remember that the U.S. Constitution is supposed to protect the life, liberty and property of American citizens, not those who would misuse the freedoms they enjoy here to destroy us and our way of life.
We understand very well how to fight a war outside our own borders. We have had a great deal of practice over the years in destroying other people's property and killing their citizens, which is the essence of warfare - to kill people and destroy property. What we don't do well, because we have not had to do it in two hundred years, is to fight a war against a foreign foe encamped on our own soil.
Read the complete article at http://gopusa.com/dougpatton/dp_121701.shtml
Ben Franklin didn't think it was a dilemma.
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