Begging For It
May 11th 2009 01:07
Benjamin Franklin said "Those that give up essential liberty to obtain a little safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." One little sentence that is so profound. I want you to think about something, because we tend to go through the drudgery of surving but forget some basic facts. Our liberties are slowly being taken away a step at a time. They aren't being taken awy by force however, we are asking for them to be taken away.
We aren't just asking for them to be taken away, we are begging. How can that be your wondering. Well let me give you some examples. Let's take smoking, maybe not the best example but it fits none the less. If 25 years ago a bill came up to ban smoking in public places, it never would have passed. Not because smoking is bad or for health reasons. It wouldn't have passed because it would have been unconstitutional. But if it is demonized enough and then throw in the second hand smoke issue to garner more support, presto a created frenzy to stop evil tobacco.
Seat belt laws, helmet laws and a slew of other laws to "protect" our safety, are manifested in the same way. We are in the midst of the latest frenzy, Global warming. People are worked up into a pretty good frenzy now so laws can be passed. On the surface they seem like they are helping, that is until the government tells you you can't farm part of "your" land because of some letter of the law. A tree maybe in a dangerous spot in relation to your home but you can't cut it down because of a law.
Hopefully I am articulating the relationship between the laws and liberties removed. Let's go back to smoking for a minute. Say a business like a restaurant wants to have a smoking section because he knows some of his patrons enjoy a cigar after dinner. Shouldn't that be his choice? Or have property rights been comprmised.
In the last couple of years we have the homeland security administration. This was an agency born out of us giving up more liberty for security. I have to admit I was all for this at frst, until I started to realize the liberty we have traded for it. We may be safer, but at what cost? The old adage be careful what you ask for comes to mind here.
We aren't just asking for them to be taken away, we are begging. How can that be your wondering. Well let me give you some examples. Let's take smoking, maybe not the best example but it fits none the less. If 25 years ago a bill came up to ban smoking in public places, it never would have passed. Not because smoking is bad or for health reasons. It wouldn't have passed because it would have been unconstitutional. But if it is demonized enough and then throw in the second hand smoke issue to garner more support, presto a created frenzy to stop evil tobacco.
Seat belt laws, helmet laws and a slew of other laws to "protect" our safety, are manifested in the same way. We are in the midst of the latest frenzy, Global warming. People are worked up into a pretty good frenzy now so laws can be passed. On the surface they seem like they are helping, that is until the government tells you you can't farm part of "your" land because of some letter of the law. A tree maybe in a dangerous spot in relation to your home but you can't cut it down because of a law.
Hopefully I am articulating the relationship between the laws and liberties removed. Let's go back to smoking for a minute. Say a business like a restaurant wants to have a smoking section because he knows some of his patrons enjoy a cigar after dinner. Shouldn't that be his choice? Or have property rights been comprmised.
In the last couple of years we have the homeland security administration. This was an agency born out of us giving up more liberty for security. I have to admit I was all for this at frst, until I started to realize the liberty we have traded for it. We may be safer, but at what cost? The old adage be careful what you ask for comes to mind here.
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