Monday, March 16, 2009

Making Us Less Safe

Cheney posited on Sunday that Obama's policies "raise the risk to the American people of another attack." Everyone is attacking Cheney on whether or not that statement is true, but, dammit people, it doesn't matter.

Were we to cover the United States with jails, giving each of us a cell that we never left, we would all be much safer. Bush's policies were a step in that direction. The thing they forgot is that safety isn't the only thing that matters.

It's been quoted many times in the last eight years, but, dammit, it's true:
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. —Benjamin Franklin
Why are people still arguing about this? Isn't this still the United States, the country founded on the concept of liberty? Stop it!

2 comments:

Die Anyway said...

As with so many things related to politics, there is always a group that thinks their way of thinking or living is so great that everyone should think or live that way. Even to the point of using government to force everyone to follow their path. It's like the bible-bangers who are not content to live by their chosen rules but want to force everyone to live by those same rules. I know that sounds like one of my libertarian rants but in this case I mean it more as a commentary on the psychology of people. There just seems to be people who can't stand it that they don't control everyone else's life. I don't know if Cheney actually feels safer by giving up some personal liberty but he obviously wants to make everybody give up personal freedom in an attempt at some greater level of security that he thinks everyone ought to have. Or does he have a hidden agenda? (insert favorite government conspiracy theory here).
Quite possibly, a little danger and risk in our lives is good for us. I know that I was impressed with the following quote when I saw it: "Go whole hog and take the consequences." Not that it gave me a new outlook, but that it so succinctly described my own attitude.

Anonymous said...

I watched Bible Bangers 14 last night.


Of course I was totally lost since I didn't see Bible Bangers 13.