I offer the two items without comment and allow you to draw your own conclusions.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Oklahoma City)–June 12, 2002–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 US 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.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN–“Those who are willing to give up some essential liberties to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
PAD
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For me personally, I am with Mr. Franklin on this one. I’ve already been through one part of the terrorists attacks and I admit that I more cautious than I ever was before.
I was horrified by all the stuff that happened on 9-11 as was the world, but it never caused me to stop being me. It never stopped my travel plans. It has never stopped me from getting up and going to work each day. The significance of this being that I am an Emergency Room worker.
I hope the people of the United States do not cave to fear. We lived so long with such a confidence that it would never happen here. A false confidence that we were invincible here in the US. It’s amazing to me how fast that false confidence turned into overwhelming fear. Overwhelming fear usually breeds drastic underthought measures that one regrets later. I am hoping that we as a people will keep our senses and not let that fear guide our actions.
To quote Larry Niven, “Freedom times security equals a constant”.
This “War against terrorism” in the USA is making me very uncomfortable. I find it frightening that people accused of being terrorists or involved with them can be arrested and imprisoned without any trial “until the war against terrorism is over”. Which means, it could be indefinitely.
I can imagine that also among the people the USA put into security camps months ago there are also men who simply were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can`t shake the feeling that if terrorism is involved, the right of being considered innocent until proven guilty is being forgotten. It is of course much easier this way, just to say that these men are dangerous terrorists, hostile combatants (whatever, but not prisoners of war). They are less than humans like you and me. We can be glad that they can`t harm anybody else.
The fight against terrorism is important, no doubt about it. But it must not become a witchhunt.
Let Me Digress here…
Does anyone actually believe polls? I know I have yet to figure out how they’re coming up with these numbers, let alone WHO they are talking to. It all smells funny to me.
I simply don’t believe polls, any polls, whether I agree or not.
Since when is no one accessing your email an essential liberty?
As for holding the enemy indefinitely, that happens all the time in war.
Give me freedom over security any day. If I’m free, I can handle my own security.
Parts of an interview with Moshe Niseem, known as Dubi the Kurd
May 31, 2002
By Ydiot Ahranot Newspaper
Moshe Niseem, who is known as Dubi the Kurd is the person who was working the Bulldozer (9) that caused the most damage in Jenin [during the Israeli incursion in April 2002]. He speaks of how he leveled Jenin Camp during (75) hours while drinking a bottle of Whiskey and eating nuts.
I entered Jenin with madness and despair; the worst condition possible. I told my wife, if anything bad happens to me, at least you would be taken care of.
I didn
Sobering, isn’t it?
Okay, well…
I am from Oklahoma City. I reside in Oklahoma City. I, as any sane yellow dog liberal would, want to get out of Oklahoma City.
Just a few points:
Oklahoma has the proud claim of a state representatitve carrying a concealed weapon in the capitol itself… this weapon fell out on the floor while he was deliberating! Not only was he not arrested for breaking the law (no weapons allowed in the capitol building)… He was re-elected.
Oklahoma has a state official being the only elected official IN AMERICA to criticize the showing of Schindler’s List on tv unedited because of the nudity.
We also have JC Watts, Frank Keating, Jim Inhofe, and Ernest Istook. Four names to shudder at.
After all that, we have one other thing. Our daily newspaper is a privately owned paper, and is ultra-conservative. So ultra-conservative that when elections come around, they have no problem running a “who you should vote for” editorial on the front page. (This really riles up the real journalists in the state)…
So when you poll in Oklahoma City, you’re going to get the conservative element. There’s a liberal faction, but the conservatives outnumber us wayyy too much.
Just stating.
The Franklin quote is very appropriate and folks should take his words to heart. You can`t trade liberty for freedom or security. It`s already being tried in some aspects of society right now and proves time and again to be a flawed concept.
Security comes from an informed, responsible, and participatory citizenry that demands respect of individual rights, especially from government.
Take responsibility for yourself, don`t leave it to others.