On Freedom and Security
Today it seems our politicians are quick to defend current foreign policy as necessary for defending the liberties of our country. Perhaps their intentions are to protect the security of this country, but liberty?
To understand the liberties the founding fathers sought, consider first a few of the oppressions they sought to be free from (oppressions of the British monarchy), conveniently written in our own Declaration of Independence from Britain:
-He [the King] has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries
-He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance
-He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers
-He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws
-For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent
-For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States
The people sought FREEDOM! Freedom from the fetters of an oppressive government. Liberty is no guarantee of security. Security isn't what our Founders sought. Security is what is promised today by our politicians, freedom is not.
That Patrick Henry understood the meaning of liberty was clear, when he said "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!"
Our founders sought FREEDOM from their own government, not other nations. They sought FREEDOM, not SECURITY.
I am not opposed to security. But I am opposed to security at the cost of our freedom. Today the state walks all over our constitution to provide homeland security, foreign security, economic security. Liberty is now just a word that appears on our coins. I encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence. Read the Constituion. Read the Bill of Rights. You can find them here. And do it before the election this fall. All three of these documents are relatively short. It won't take much time, and you might find it enlightening.
To understand the liberties the founding fathers sought, consider first a few of the oppressions they sought to be free from (oppressions of the British monarchy), conveniently written in our own Declaration of Independence from Britain:
-He [the King] has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries
-He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance
-He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers
-He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws
-For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent
-For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States
The people sought FREEDOM! Freedom from the fetters of an oppressive government. Liberty is no guarantee of security. Security isn't what our Founders sought. Security is what is promised today by our politicians, freedom is not.
That Patrick Henry understood the meaning of liberty was clear, when he said "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!"
Our founders sought FREEDOM from their own government, not other nations. They sought FREEDOM, not SECURITY.
I am not opposed to security. But I am opposed to security at the cost of our freedom. Today the state walks all over our constitution to provide homeland security, foreign security, economic security. Liberty is now just a word that appears on our coins. I encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence. Read the Constituion. Read the Bill of Rights. You can find them here. And do it before the election this fall. All three of these documents are relatively short. It won't take much time, and you might find it enlightening.
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I want a government that is small enough I have to do it myself. -
Excellent post. Welcome to Pleonast. -
Hmmm, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. John Adams was on the committee and helped "reword" much of Thomas Jefferson's writing. But apparently that founding father thought it good to sign the Alien and Sedition Act while he was President to ensure security. I think he saw a balance between security and liberty. Sorry, welcome to pleo :-) -
Amen -
goodness that's a long post. -
John Adams was on a power trip when he signed that. -
Valid point, there wasn't always unanimity among the founders. However, even though Adams signed the Acts, Jefferson believed them to be unconstitutional, arguing that the Government had overstepped its boundaries by passing them. -
To paraphrase Ben Franklin: Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither