Do we take freedom for granted? Is that why so many are willing to give some freedoms up, for "security"?

Question

You know...the same freedoms that Bush and company asked us to give up after 9/11....remember?

Answer 1

"those who are willing to give up some liberty to obtain a little temporary security deserve neither liberty or security"

Answer 2

No. It's because it's easy and requires less energy and activism. And because people think that the effects of giving up those freedoms won't effect THEM because they aren't "the enemy" and the government has their best interests are heart.

What they don't get is democracy takes participation and energy. They also don't get that most people aspiring to the highest levels of government want power and eventually that is a goal onto itself and not materially different than Third World dictators that do it by force.

It just takes so much less effort to believe that those in power have your best interests at heart and therefore you need not do anything in the way of oversight than to actually have to get off your lazy butt and watch them like hawks.

Benjamin Franklin famously said that those who would give up freedom for security deserve neither understood this in spades.

Answer 3

I've lost the freedom of speech I used to take for granted. My friend (whose life has been destroyed by the legal system) and I used to blow off steam about her situation in life by joking online about people or places she would like to seek revenge on, but no more. We are too afraid to use certain words in our communications, knowing that likely they would attract the notice of big brother. I really don't think any of what we ever said would be considered illegal today, but after seeing how the legal system works we are not taking any chances.

Answer 4

How does that even make sense? If we are taking freedom for granted, that means we would never allow them to be taken away, because they are our right.....

If we are willing to let them be taken, then we are not taking them for granted, but understand there is a cost for freedom.

Answer 5

Got a pulse --

I think death is one of the hopes for freedom that exists.. but you just don't know... do you...


anyway - security will never really exists - it is "control" not security that people seek - they gain a sense of security when they think other people or themselves have control.

You can of course look at it - how can I maintain control - what can stop me from acheiving what I'd like - then gain a sense of security - but security will never really exist unless you look only in the box - if you arn't looking outside it you only see what is in it, and what you've made or been given to play with.

People arn't "willing" to give up freedom - they choose what they would like to do - it is just some activities are classed "freedom or capacity based" and others "locked in"

you jump on one log and your stuck on it cause you can't get off.

It's like marriage and children and other things. We just comit ourselves - and we "are limited human beings".

I don't think anyone is willing to give up freedom - they are free do do what they like. Unless you are God or master of your destiny or whatever then you are in the box. If you find a sense of faith both freedom and security become redundancies as you fullfill gods will, and god's purpose.

Once we loose that confusion we realize we are just beingness .. we do for our faith - it is just whether you see your own faith or are an aspect of it confused in belief as to it's own existance or clarity of the emotion and feeling of it's clear idenity transcending non abstract thought.


I thought I'd add there are a number of emotions that humans have - fear - dreading a loss - panic - feeling a animalistic urge to escape a danger - complaicency - a sense of mild fullfillment - joy - a sense of accomplishment and wellness etc.. freedom itself is unhindered action an appeasement of the soul --- security - on the other hand is having a thought of a danger and knowing it is neutralized - you must be split minded to have security. while freedom is case specific.

Answer 6

As long as people can turn there TV on and take a dump in private, This is the freedoms we have been trained to except...

Ed Brown has said he would rather die than recognize a federal conviction against him... No law has been shown to the Browns - stating the laws in which he has been charged.
Freedom to Fascism:
http://www.freedomtofascism.com/

Cheney saying the the Constitution was just a piece of paper....should have caused a stir, but?
Toilet paper rolls should have the constitution on them...Since we seem to wipe our cracks with it anyhow!

A New World Order is the Goal for the Elites (total control)

Answer 7

there was this old dead guy named ben franklin that said that -- those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety -- maybe he was a drooling idiot or maybe neocons could learn something.

its amazing how many united states citizens don't know what the magna carta was and that they have lost the rights granted to western civilization by it. we are third world all the way and proud of our ignorance. we are #1 and our education system we won't even discuss -- we will drop out of the rankings so nobody knows how bad we suck at math!

we have the 41st best health care system and thats better than 42nd! we rock. we roll. its hammer time.

Answer 8

The problem stems from the failure of public schools to teach people about "freedoms". Most people are of the notion that to fight for our freedom is wrong. If people want freedom, them must fight for it CONSTANTLY, EACH AND EVERY GENERATION.
"Security" is not the issue: Liberals in Congress for the past 50 years, Liberals in the White House and Liberals in the Supreme Court and Liberals controlling ALL OF THE MASS MEDIA is the problem. What "freedoms" are left? Freedom of religion was usurped by the liberal supreme court. Freedom of property was usurped by the liberal supreme court. Freedom for LIFE was usurped by the liberal supreme court. Freedom to pursue a vocation was usurped by the liberal congress.
Americans, because most of them are not Americans, but foreigners, are unwilling to fight for their freedoms, unwilling to stand up to Congress and the Supreme Court and the Media. The ONLY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT that listens to the people at all IS the President. After all, we cannot elect the Supreme Court: it is immune to voters. Congress has so many: 100 Senators and hundreds of Representatives, that voting out ONE rascal has no overall effect. BUT, there is ONLY ONE PRESIDENT, so he listens. If 50,000,000 people say one thing and 50,000,000 people say the opposite, what is he to do?

Answer 9

Look at how many people vote in governmental elections, and look how many people vote for American Idol. Do you *really* have to ask? Of course we take our freedom for granted.

But what freedoms have you, personally, lost? I'm not worried about mercenaries in Gitmo - I'm only worried about you at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 10

It's interesting isn't it?

Republicans keep saying how Democrats believe in government coddling, yet when it comes to National Security they are completely willing to give up civil liberties and personal freedoms for a false sense of big brother watching out for all of our lives!?!

Yet 6 years after 9/11 our ports and borders are wide open and they still have no idea who is coming into this country or for what purpose these people are here!

We give up our liberties for security but nothing has changed in how they 'secure' the country!