Calamity Jon wrote a little something about our nation’s courageous stance against terrorism, and man, do I ever agree with him.
The more stories like this I read, the more I wonder: what the fuck is going on? Do decision makers even remember that the whole purpose of this ridiculous war is to preserve liberty, at home as well as abroad? We’ve done a pretty good job of making everyone afraid of some indistinct but Very Serious Threat while subjecting Americans to a remarkably thorough invasion of their privacy, not to mention a constant irritation caused by security measures aimed at putting forward the image of safety without the substance of effectivity or justice. What’s the point of turning America into a police state just so we’re saved from the sinister influence of those who would turn it into a police state? Look, I’m not saying America would be better off in the hands of those from whom we’re trying to protect ourselves–it would be much worse, in fact–but since when is “less awful” synonymous with “good”?
I know this has become a cliché, but I’m just going to go ahead and repeat it anyway: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Ben Franklin was right, my friends.
Anyway, Jon makes a point that I think is fundamental to this issue: the more we do both here and in Iraq to scrutinize and surveille the behavior of common citizens, the more we create an enviroment that fosters terrorism. If you think criticizing our government gives solace to our enemies, imagine how gratified they are to see us weaken and abandon the very freedoms that they seek to destroy.
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