What do you think of this quote?....?

Question

"Those who would give up an essential liberty for a measure of security deserve neither liberty nor security." Ben Franklin

What do you think of this compared to all the laws that the government is passing that restrict our liberties?

How about the Military Commission Act of 2006, or the Patriot Act, or the Patriot Act 2 which was almost passed.

Answer 1

i love it
"the goverment is made to protect us from others. once they take it upon themselves to begin protecting us form ourselves, they've abused their purpose"
-Ronald Reagan. another good quote

Answer 2

The original quote is as follows: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Franklin first said this in the Pennsylvania Assembly's November 11, 1755 reply to the Governor, and it appears in The Papers of Benjamin Franklin v. 6, p. 242 (ed. Labaree). This quote also appears on the Statue of Liberty.

Answer 3

While, as it's been pointed out, you've miss quoted him, I find it interesting. You see, Franklin and Washingon did not share views. Washington was an isolationist. There was trouble a brewin' on the Barbary Coast with Muslim pirates. Washington's answer was to simply keep paying the demanded ransoms instead of putting an end to it. Jefferson put an end to it by sending in the Navy and Marines.
I think that most people (including you) fail to grasp the difference between "Liberty" and "Freedom" and as such, neither do they or you, understand the difference between "Rights" and "Privileges." Much the same as needs and wants. You/we have lost no liberty. We have however, gained a great deal of security -- at least until 2008 when all will be myopically repealed.

Answer 4

Excellent quote and I agree with it utterly. But I suspect we don’t quite agree on what is meant by the words thereof.

Frankly, the biggest threats to your liberty come not from the attempts to thwart terrorism. If you want evidence of the government usurping your liberties, you need only look at the Welfare State and the varied assortment of government agencies, regulations and judicial activism. This is where your liberties are in jeopardy. And it has occurred because “the people” wanted protections from one perceived threat or another. You want unemployment to protect you from the loss of employment, you want universal health care to protect you in case of emergency, you want Social Security to protect you in case you don’t plan for your retirement, you want judicial activism to protect you from your fellow citizens who don’t want the things you want (i.e. a constitutional right to abortion, a ban on guns and gay marriage).

No, you cry and moan about the Patriot Act when the very system which allowed that law to come into being was created by “we the people” in our quest to find utopia. You make your Faustian deal then you have the nerve to be shocked when Mephistopheles fulfils your wishes.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I believe it. Ben Franklin was one of the smartest people ever in the world. Ask yourself this - "Just how smart are the officials in our government in comparison to Ben Franklin"?

Answer 7

Can yo provide an example of a law that has restricted our liberties?

Answer 8

Ben never saw terrorists flying planes into buildings. Probably would've rounded them up. Oh wait,FDR did that after Pearl Harbor. My bad.

Answer 9

Ben Franklin would not like bush's patriot act at all!!

Answer 10

okay I agree we should get back to 'traditional values'- lets start with this quote