Patriotic questions that must be asked
Frank J. Ranelli
Much to my disgust, a recent survey found that 25% of Americans are willing to give up certain civil liberties in order to make us feel safe. Feel safe from what and from whom? Which freedoms do we give up, in the name of safety, and which liberties do we keep? Who gets to decide this absurd notion and why?
When we start deciding that certain liberties are negotiable, and can be suspended in the name of national safety, then the terrorists are likely to view this as a victory for them. After all, isn't that the goal of terrorism- to control and subjugate through fear? Since when did the U.S. negotiate with terrorists and who decided the ‘bargaining chip’ was our civil rights?
I will bet if we were asked to give up the right to bear arms, this pathetic argument Bush apologists make, would have a very different view! Couldn't it be argued that giving up guns would make us safer as a nation? How many people are murdered and die from gun shot wounds every year?
The reality is this; we can barricade ourselves right into a dictatorship and a police state, lose much of our independence and still be at incredible risk. Truth be told, the only thing that makes us free AND safe is the freedom to choose and the right to do so.
Some people mistakenly say that Bush as president makes us safer. I put forward the question, "who will save us from Bush?"
Much to my disgust, a recent survey found that 25% of Americans are willing to give up certain civil liberties in order to make us feel safe. Feel safe from what and from whom? Which freedoms do we give up, in the name of safety, and which liberties do we keep? Who gets to decide this absurd notion and why?
When we start deciding that certain liberties are negotiable, and can be suspended in the name of national safety, then the terrorists are likely to view this as a victory for them. After all, isn't that the goal of terrorism- to control and subjugate through fear? Since when did the U.S. negotiate with terrorists and who decided the ‘bargaining chip’ was our civil rights?
I will bet if we were asked to give up the right to bear arms, this pathetic argument Bush apologists make, would have a very different view! Couldn't it be argued that giving up guns would make us safer as a nation? How many people are murdered and die from gun shot wounds every year?
The reality is this; we can barricade ourselves right into a dictatorship and a police state, lose much of our independence and still be at incredible risk. Truth be told, the only thing that makes us free AND safe is the freedom to choose and the right to do so.
Some people mistakenly say that Bush as president makes us safer. I put forward the question, "who will save us from Bush?"
posted by Frank J. Ranelli at 7:24 PM
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