Neither Liberty Nor Safety

2008-01-29 08:54:59 by esproul

Ben Franklin's famous quote about liberty versus safety frames Bruce Schneier's latest column for Wired, in which he sums up post-9/11 politics as a false dichotomy between security and privacy. As is typical for Bruce's writing, it is full of links to supporting information and is well worth your time to explore.

We do indeed have a reason to be terrified in this country-- we should be terrified that our republic may well be undone by the very government that exists to safeguard it. As long as we're quoting 18th-century luminaries, I'll add another favorite. In a 1783 speech to the House of Commons, Prime Minister William Pitt said:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."

I couldn't agree more.