Posted on 06/11/2002 6:39:05 AM PDT by Boonie Rat
Poll: Four in Five Americans Would Give Up Some Freedom for More Security
By Jennifer L. Brown Associated Press Writer
Published: Jun 11, 2002
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Four in five Americans would give up some freedoms to gain security and four in 10 worry terrorists will harm them or their family, a new Gallup poll shows.
About one-third of those polled favor making it easier for authorities to access private e-mail and telephone conversations. More than 70 percent are in favor of requiring U.S. citizens to carry identification cards with fingerprints, and 77 percent believe all Americans should have smallpox vaccinations.
"It was amazing the percentage of people who are willing to give up freedom to get back some sense of personal security," said Elaine Christiansen, senior research director for The Gallup Organization. "These aren't people who were necessarily near the twin towers, near the Pentagon, near the Murrah building. These are average people."
The telephone survey, conducted in March, included 934 people across the country. Researchers also polled about 500 people in each of three cities where terrorist attacks occurred - New York City, Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma City - to compare results with the general population survey.
The poll showed 8 percent of Americans are very worried and 31 percent are somewhat worried that they or someone in their family will become victims of a terrorist attack in the United States. In New York City, the level of worry is higher - 19 percent said they are very worried and 34 percent said they are somewhat worried.
Washington, D.C, and Oklahoma City reported levels of fear close to the national average.
Scientists involved in the poll said they were not surprised many Americans remain fearful after Sept. 11.
"The magnitude of the event was just so profound," said Carol North, a psychiatry professor at Washington University in St. Louis, who said talk of the war in Afghanistan, airline security and terrorist threats is propelling the fear.
The study was co-sponsored by The University of Oklahoma psychiatry department through a grant from the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. The main survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, while the margin of error for the survey in the three cities is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Meanwhile, a New York Times/CBS News poll found that 60 percent of New York City residents think the threat of a terrorist attack in their city is greater than it is in any other big city.
Barely 40 percent of respondents believe the city is safer than it had been four years ago, a decrease of 20 percent from those polled in August. Even so, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said that given a choice, they would prefer to be living in the city four years from now than any other place.
The poll, conducted by telephone in English or Spanish June 4 through Sunday, surveyed 940 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
I didn't and haven't. I realize that changes are needed to deal with the problem of terrorists here and abroad. I don't disagree with what you say regarding the rights of foreigners, the need to profile, the need for increased security on planes and at facilities. But that wasn't the point of my post in any case.
I don't see one item that has been passed that has affected me personally
I agree for the most part EXCEPT that the Bush Administration is ignoring the many laws that were violated by the democRATS the last 9 years and that does affect me ... and you. It means that when you send your hard earned cash to your favorite candidate, the other side can counter with MILLIONS of dollars from ILLEGAL sources that actually want to do you, me and this nation harm. It means that when you cast your vote, the other side can negate it by ILLEGALITIES at the ballot box. It means that even if your candidate wins, he or she may be unduly influenced using information ILLEGALLY garnered from sources like FBI file ... influenced to act in ways that are not in your interest. It means less confidence in the justice system in the future and increased fear by those who might want to come forward and correct wrongs. It means the next time the other party gains power over the investigatory and legal arms of government they will be even more emboldened to use them against you and I. Don't kid yourself into thinking that ignoring the crimes of politicians and their supporters doesn't affect you ... now or in the future.
This Administration is trying to figure out what to do right now to protect the American citizens while still not taking away our freedoms.
Believe that Ashcroft is doing everything possible to see that we are all protected and I do not believe he will break the law to do so.
But if, as many here suggest, the WOT would be lost if democRATS were now in control ... if the Bush supporters are right in saying that we shouldn't probe the crimes of democRATS because that might allow democRATS to regain power ... if Republicans are willing to bend the laws and even a few Constitutional principles to win the war, then doesn't it logically follow that we need to make CERTAIN the democRATS don't regain the Whitehouse or expand control of Congress in the future ... by any means necessary? Doesn't that suggest we need to be doing the same thing to them that they did to us the last several elections ... at least "temporarily"?
John Ashcroft has always been a man of the uptmost integrity and anyone that breaks the law that works for him IMO will be severely dealt with.
Yes ... in your opinion. But this is a war with grave consequences if we loose. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that we must win the next several elections by whatever means necessary. We both know we just can't afford to let those criminal democRATSback in power.
As for the laws clinton broke, please don't even bother to bring that up unless you want to tank the Republicans in total if they followed through on your wishes.
No ... as you can see I've joined your cause. Here's the new slogan ... "Don't let democRATS loose the WOT ... the GOP must keep the Whitehouse AT ANY COST!".
Clinton will get his someday, but to go back and indict him for crimes he committed, you will probably never even get a jury to indict him nor convict him in D.C. It isn't going to happen. The press has protected him for so long that to go after him would be spinning the wheels of the Government and we don't need that at this point in time.
Yes and of course that is true of the dozens if not hundreds of other democRATS who broke laws for Clinton and the Clinton administration. No ... we mustn't investigate those crimes ... because we are going to be violating those very same laws to make sure the democRATS don't win any future election. And who knows how long this WOT might last. Our President has said that it will be a long war ... so we must be prepared to keep control of the government into the foreseeable future ... even if we have to bend the rules a tiny bit.
It makes you stop and think that this Administration needs to do everything possible to make sure another terrorists attack doesn't happen.
Absolutely. EVERYTHING POSSIBLE ... and the possible certainly includes ignoring election tampering, voter fraud and blackmail ... because we are already doing that. It is a green light ... a whole new ball game ... anything goes. So let's get out there and support our President and Party no matter what they want or need to do. Just don't let those losers, the democRATS, back in power or our nation might loose this war.
Remember the President is the President of All the people of this Great Country and he does what he thinks is best for all. <
Absolutely! Who cares if he looks the other way when certain laws are broken. As long as we win this war, however long it takes. As long as we and our children are safe from those dastardly terrorists.
but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
And you shouldn't have to ... as long as Bush and the GOP do what it takes to keep those incompetent democRATS out of office. Because if they get back in office we will surely loose the War On Terrorism and we can't allow THAT!
FReegards!
You got one thing right.....Freedom is not free
THe price of freedom is the willingness to accept risks in order to keep it.
Think about it.
You hold up as encouragement to surrender liberty those who died defending the USA from would be tyrants. In doing so you spit on their graves.
Think about it.
Regards
J.R.
Yeah.
Check out this article:
:
So true.
For example, just look at the ad hominem attacks against war vets made by so-called "FReepers" contained in this thread alone.
They prove your point for you.
From sneakypete: ..."??????? ROFLMAO! I'm thinking you should look up the word "hyprocisy" in the dictionary! Every post you make on this thread is to urge people to be good little sheeple and listen to big daddy gooberment,and then you turn around and advise somebody to be a individual?"...
ROTFLMAOATPIMP! Sneaky.....there you go 'calling' the man (?) names!!! You must be one of them 'paranoid freaks' that just runs around trying to catch morons in the hole they've dug for themselves with all that cutting and pasting stuff! Trying to force them to see the illogic of what they try to pass off as logic! You show-off you!! FOTF!!
Oh, BTW, < /sarcasm>.
Howya doing, friend?
BTW...thanks for your service and that of your relatives.
And, of course, we should trust that government that used unsuspecting patients to test radiation on without knowledgable consent.
Or perhaps we should trust that government that has covered up the USS Liberty.
Does any of that stuff count as to how much faith and confidence we should have in our government?
Could any of this be how come I don't feel so good about any of this new stuff?
Part of the problem is that people don't sit back and take an overview of seemingly un-related occurrences
Another part of the problem is they have control of our educational systems, are rewriting history and dumbing down America' students.
I've posted this comment before: There are three certanties in life: Death, Taxes and Betrayal by politicians regardless of the label they wear.
FReegards
After reading so many 'Babbit'-type opinions from those who always lick the hand that strikes them, yours was as refreshing as an April morn. ;^)
Not bad. Thanks for asking. I hope the same can be said for you and yours.
Thank you!
I'd rather bring attention to it than to 're-invent the wheel'. ;^)
'April morn' bump. Jeez, I was feeling 'festive', wasn't I? LOLOL!!
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