A new CNN/Time/ORC International Poll indicates four in 10 Americans say they are willing to give up some civil liberties to fight terrorism, and suggests worries about terrorism have edged up after the Boston Marathon bombings.
A CNN news alert that was just sent to me from the network..
In my opinion these numbers are somewhat troubling, as the threat of terrorism may be there the chances of you actually being affected by it are quite slim..
The thought of giving up civil liberties and basic freedoms in America just to combat something that will never completely be prevented is flawed logic.
This is always a battle, the battle between freedom and security, civil liberties and safety.. But does it have to be a battle?
You have to admit that law-enforcement agencies did their collective job and apprehended not only the terrorists days after the Boston Marathon but three more today involved with a conspiracy to lie and hide information.. They did that without the 4 in 10 giving up more of their civil liberties, right?
Although we have compromised quite a few liberties over the past decade, with the patriot act and wiretapping and all the rest, the question really remains should we give up any more than we already have, and if we did would it matter a hill of beans are not in the fight against future terrorist acts in this nation
The police response in Boston was massive in the days following the bombing, and the lockdown in Watertown was quite chilling, with all those military vehicles roaming the streets and police freely entering homes with guns drawn on innocent families..
We should support our law enforcement, and the law-enforcement should be free to conduct investigations and their jobs.. But we should also hold them at bay if they step over the line that has been drawn in this country for hundreds of years..
For all of the flaws in this nation we didn’t get where we are by giving up our basic freedoms, and we certainly will make no positive steps in making a deal to give up more..
Before we travel down this road, and before the foreign can become six and 10 or 10 in 10, we should have a very deep and thoughtful national discussion about this topic.. We should be wary of anyone who says they giving up our liberties would equal safety.. That is a snake oil recipe for disaster sold by the devil himself..
Let’s be careful folks, it is a dangerous world, but a future society with no freedoms could be much more dangerous than society that cherishes freedoms..
