is safety worth your freedom?

Answer 1

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety"

-- Benjamin Franklin

Answer 2

I heard a funny line in a play recently that went " the loss of liberty is the price we pay in our fight for freedom...". It's such a ridiculous contradiction.
I used to despise all of the NRA fanatics who insist it is every American's right to own automatic assault rifles if they want. But now I understand a little bit what motivates them. I just wish the rest of us could be so organized and aggressive when it comes to fighting for the rights we value as dearly, like the right to privacy, due process, and assembly.
In answer to your question, (and as someone who was at the World Trade Center the day they were attacked) ...NO. Freedom, as defined in the Constitution is everything America is about. How can we hope to export "Freedom" around the world when we are slowly diminishing it here at home?
There was a time, not so long ago, when American citizens of Japanese descent, were imprisoned in camps because of the presumed "threat" they represented. Many had been born here in the US. We look back now and say that it was wrong to do that. The rights we have as citizens of the US should never be sacrificed for any assumed risk or threat, because frankly, sometimes the threat is fabricated or exagerated (weapons of mass destruction?) to manipulate us into a dangerous complacency.

Answer 3

My safety is the job of the government. What freedom have I lost? Get educated and stop listening to the left wing media and the ACLU!

Liberty Over Liberalism!

Answer 4

We were never really free to begin with. What does it matter if we continue to lose even more of our rights?

A lot of Americans would gladly hand over their freedom to be held in the cradling arms of the government like children who can not think for themselves. The government is not interested in your well being. Presidents don't give a damn about you. Just your vote.

Any American who believes the government is only looking out for its people is the definition of a naive child.

Answer 5

No. I'd rather be beheaded by the terrorist we are supposedly being protected from (which is as about as likely as me winning the lottery) than live in a theocracy headed up by a heartless dictator and his brainless pet chimp. It's very hard for me to understand these people who claim "it's hard to enjoy freedom when you're dead". Freedom requires sacrafice sometimes....it's what our forefathers knew during the revolution....the civil war.....world war II....THEY weren't about to sacrafice THEIR liberties just because there was the possiblilty of their saftey being jeopardized.... Why have the current generation of US citizens (mostly of the conservative stripe) forgotten this and turned into cowards?

Answer 6

In Maslow theory of needs, first comes need for safety, then after some more finaly comes freedom.
Human needs to feel safe first so that he can discover what freedom is.
But is it worth, do not know, perhaps freedom is overrated.
Would you like to be free and hungry or safe and not hungry and thirsty even when this means that you are under someones control?
Diferent people give diferent answers.
Mostly we yearn for freedom when we have nothing in our life, no food , water, heat, safety, so we are left with only one choice
give us freedom or give us death.
But what if we have everything fulfilled, how many people will then yearn for fredom.
I realy do not know,we like to theorize tha freedom is the ultimate goal, and is worthy of any price.
THat is theory, reality , we do not know what the reality is?ć
All our experiences of fight for freedom, comes when we have nothing left, nothing,french revolution, fight for equality of black americans, revolution in south africa,neither of them had everything and then needed freedom.
THey all were deprived of everything, so they had to fight,
No, in 90% of cases,safety is preferable then freedom without safety.
And in 10% you have nothing to loose then life, and everything to gain with the fight.

Answer 7

I forget who said this first, but it's quite true:
"When we trade freedom for safety, we end up with neither."

Think about it.

Eliminating freedoms and threatening the press didn't so well in the past for Nixon, did it?

Answer 8

remember when the white house said (after 911) just go about about your lives- "do not be affected by this- THAT's when we lose our freedom- be patriotic, go shopping" ...remember?

BUT NOW- the admin is approving all these "spy on us" measures- it is much parallel to the brownshirts becomeing the thought police...and it's the same people who previously didn't want us to lose the battle of freedom, to the terrorists- (flip flop)
looks its it's too late- thanks to the closed minds of the ones who cheated their way into office. (Dubya never won the election in 2000, remeber, the supreme court put him in- making history in the United States, why some people are OK with this ...is just scary. But I won't lose my freedom all by myself, the entire country is losing it together.

Oh, 1 more- why don't we look for who was really behind 911? has anyone ever been responsible for mass murder on a scale like that- who we NEVER WENT AFTER? (something is terribly wrong in this country)

Answer 9

Perhaps the most crucial question of recent years. We're outraged by identity theft, but then the government wants to infiltrate our lives even more for our own protection. Where's the line between private information and having to prove who you are to every program you want to participate in (had to give my SSN to the blood center, for crying out loud)?

On the other hand, I do feel good knowing that there's a Federal Marshal on my flight, and the annoyance of having my things gone through is pittance compared to my fear of falling from a firey ball in the sky..... But that's drama and statistics. They aren't on those planes for the passengers, but for the targets on the ground.

In short: I don't live in a particularly well-populated area. Many of the hinderances and regulations are just that. I would likely feel VERY differently if I lived in NYC.

Answer 10

Without freedom there is no safety.

That's why slaves try to escape.

That's why a normally peaceful cornered animal will fight.

That's why you have to stand up to people who will kill or enslave you.

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

Answer 11

Wow excellent question. The ACLU certainly doesn't think so.

I think it is to a point. I want everyone thoroughly searched before they get on a plane with me. I would approve of metal detectors at sports arenas and concert venues. They already do a peek in the purse where I live, but that is really looking for cameras.