What Freedoms/Rights are you willing to sacrifice to be safe from terrorism?

Question

If so, what rights are you willing to sacrifice and why? If not, explain why you wouldn't give up any rights?

Answer 1

None. Fear doesn't determine my decisions. Some things actually are worth dying for. Thugs don't decide which rights I should have.

Answer 2

I think is was Thomas Jefferson who said; "to sacrifice liberty for security leads to having neither" or along those lines.

I will not sacrifice one freedom or one right - ever. The world has always been a dangerous place. But, I won't live in a cocoon of fear - ever.

Terrorism has always existed. It always will. There will forever be those disaffected groups of people who take it upon themselves to try and relieve another group of their feeling of security through terrorist acts.

I don't give one moment worrying about it. I travel extensively - usually alone - both domestically and internationally and have never felt threatened or in danger. I avoid "hot spots" where war or insurrection is happening, of course, and use common sense when traveling but - will never, ever stop.

Life is WAY too short to find fear around every corner. Crossing the street can be dangerous, so can flying in an airplane, driving on the freeway. We don't have enough time on this earthy to enjoy life as it is.....damned if I will live it in fear or give up any of my rights as an American.

Answer 3

None, the protection of civil liberties are far more important. America's founding fathers even said that a government is institued to protect the unalienable rights of the people. And if that government should become overly oppressive and destructive it is right of the people to abolish that government and institute a new one. This is in the Declaration of Independence. Once a government starts to take away those liberties it most certainly will become destructive. Those who have traded their liberty for safety have paid dearly for it. Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union just to name a few examples. If we start giving up our civil liberties for security it can evolve to the point when the government can become so oppresive that they can throw innocent people in their prison. Torture the innocent. Restrict travel like Stalin did. Set up checkpoints so where you need an National ID or internal passport to get through. And very rarely were those issued. Use their military to oppress the people. Force them to house their military. Bust down the door of your house for no good reason and haul you off to prison. Wiretap your phones and emails without any reason. Convinscate personal belongings. For example, firearms so the people can't fight back. Even pick innocent people up off the street and throw them into a concentration camp so they can be tortured. When all they were doing was peacefully assembling, or speaking out against the injustices being done to them by their own government. This is why the protection of liberties is important, because the government becomes the terrorists. People should not live in fear of persecution of their own government, they should live free. Like Thomas Jefferson said, "When people fear their government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is libery." Look at Patrick Henry's Give me Liberty or Give Me Death speach. He was basically telling the Congress that those British soldiers were coming to do some of the very things I mentioned. America's forefathers knew what a government can do and will do with its power. Even created a Constitution to limit its power. And they were willing to die to be free. I would have to agree with them and in the words of Patrick Henry, " I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Answer 4

Terrorism - what is it? Terrorism is a term used to describe violence or other harmful acts committed (or threatened) against civilians by groups or persons for political or ideological goals. USA invaded and killed more civilians in peace time than any other nation. It is currently fight an illegal war in Iraq. The USA has imposed more terror on the world than any other nation. I am lucky i live in Australia and have a choice of media to get real balanced information. You live a an information cocoon and are fed what ever you totalitarian government want to to believe. USA is hated by most nations. TIME magazine has recently done a survey of 27 nations and only 40% of the population like what you are doing - WAKE UP!!!

Answer 5

I believe that there is nothing worth sacrificing in the form of rights or freedoms to remain free from terrorism. If i compromise my beliefs and give up rights and freedoms, it will impact the rights and freedoms that my children will have and to give them less than I have had the privelege of enjoying is just not fair. The rights and freedoms of the US Constitution are not mine to negotiate or compromise in any fashion and any American that is willing to give up any part of that guarantee is not an American way of thinking. The document says We the people, By the people, for the people ............ and I believe that is what it means as the ones drafting it up were some very smart people and committed to its continued existance without change or compromise. They would know as they were the oppressed people and knew what it would take to protect their freedom and the freedoms of their decendants. We owe at least that to our children and grandchildren. Don't you think?

Answer 6

Where is the outrage over the rights we've already lost under this radical Administration? They've neutered the First and nullified the Fourth Amendments. That's only the beginning of it, and is that not enough? The only distinction between this Administration and the so-called "terrorists" is the difference between wholesale terrorism and retail terrorism.

Answer 7

I certainly would not give up my right to privacy. The Patriot Act needs to be abolished. I would not allow the government to have access to reading mail whenever they pleased. Right now Bush is trying to get it where any mail that the government even thinks is suspiscious can be read without getting the Judge's approval. They are tapping into peoples phone lines if they suspect anything. Even e-mails can get read by the government if they really wanted to do it. They need to keep a limit on what they are doing so that we can still feel like we are somehow free without the government knowing everything we are doing.

Answer 8

None! If someone is willing to give up their rights and, thereby, hand the terrorists the victory they seek, so be it. There's no accounting for cowardice. However, those that would be willing to sell out the rights of their fellow Americans are traitors. They should be judged and treated as such.

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Answer 9

I would be willing to give up OUR right to privacy for the duration of the war on terror because I think that it is a valuable tool for fighting the war on terror. (privacy of telephone calls and emails). I do think that only CRIMINALS disagree with laws against the crimes they commit and I can go a step farther and say that only those that are saying things in their emails and telephone conversations that are incriminatory are the ones that do not want to give up this right.

Answer 10

None...our country was founded on those basic rights. I will not be scared into having them taken away.
I will practice whatever religion I feel suits me best.
I will speak freely about what is on my mind be it the government or the weather for the day.
I will not have my property or person be searched and detained without just cause.
I will not speak to incriminate myself nor my spouse.
I will not be put into prison and lost in the system because my trail will be open to the public.
I will not have one judge with an agenda to prove say that I am guilty without proof or reason.
I will not sit in jail so that the government can have me inprisoned until they see fit to give me a trial.
I will confront those that accuse me in court.
I will have assistance with my defense, especially if I cannot afford it myself.
I will not be submitted to cruel and unusual punishment for the joy or our government.
I will assemble in protest if I believe something is wrong.
I will petition my grievances with my government.
I will bear arms to protect myself and the country I believe in.
I will not have the government force me to house people I do not want in my house.

Answer 11

First of all I am not willing to give up any rights because Americans aren't willing to commit to war to fight terrorism. How can we beat terrorist if they believe that they are fighting a religious war and most Americans expect it to be over in a couple months. Obviously there is a clear winner and we need to cut our losses and leave. All we can do is beef up our security and hope for the best when there is another terrorist attack on our own soil. We need to stick to covert missions because most of us are chickens and can't handle collateral damage.