What are you willing to give up to feel safe?
By CatWrites
@CatWrites (33)
United States
February 8, 2007 1:27pm CST
While the American government has been quick to rant and rave about the war on terror, it hasn't asked a whole lot of sacrifice from the citizens, except to shop and basically just go along with whatever they do in the name of "national security."
So I ask, how much liberty are you willing to surrender to feel safer?
My opinion is that you can never be completely safe or completely free. But given teh choice, I'll take liberty before security.
2 responses
@MrNiceGuy (4141)
• United States
9 Feb 07
So how has your liberty, your personal liberty, been changed by George Bush? How have your rights been infringed on?
I mean, we hear it a lot, but the truth is, everyday life for American citizens has not changed...
@CatWrites (33)
• United States
10 Feb 07
Yes, it has.
If I want to research an article on Islam or terrorism and I visit websites of terrorists as part of my website, I will be put on a watch list. If someone with my same name, or someone who's just been using my same name, is put on a no-fly list, then I can't fly either, even though I'm a born American citizen with no criminal record of any kind.
The government can use the Patriot Act (meant to make it easier to prosecute terrorists) to subpeaona my financial records without my even being notified, without them ever acquiring a warrant.
Now, I'm not saying for certain that any of these things have happened to me, but the fact is that they have the power to do that.
Provisions of the Patriot Act have been used to track protestors who were in no way a threat to anyone, but simply excercising their right to assembly and free speech. This has happened to me.
Maybe the effects aren't all-emcompassing, and maybe they're not that far-reaching...yet.
Which is why my question was more hypothetical.
