Washington and certain other cities are beginning to resemble occupied territories. … This raises the questions of whether we can hope to make ourselves “safe” – if by that we mean no more terror attacks – and if it is worth the price of transforming ourselves into an armed fortress. Changing America is a primary objective of the terrorists. If we change ourselves, have they won? …
D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said: “We are fighting to preserve both security and freedom. We’re not going to accept the closing of the city.” The new restrictions were imposed by Congress without consulting D.C. leaders, according to Norton. Mayor Anthony Williams said at a news conference, “When in doubt, preserve freedom.” That may be increasingly difficult to do, depending on one’s definitions of “security” and “freedom.” …
As we ratchet up our defenses, we, however, must maintain a balance between our safety and our freedoms. We would do well to recall Benjamin Franklin’s warning: “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Note that Calcified Cal Thomas, radical evangelical Christian and paleo-con deep-thinker, is saying what many others, including this atheist leftist have been saying: we are not reacting well to 9/11. I would go so far as to say that nearly every single step we have taken since 9/11 has been a misstep — we may have done nothing right. Certainly, the things we are doing wrong are colossal and the repercussions will resound for many years. mjh