Enlightenment

[history_grrl]

I've been reading a lot of work by the Philosophes of late, and I find myself wondering where we've gone wrong as a society.

Tolerance, equality, liberty, all falling to the wayside in the name of security.  Are these to be the times that try men's souls?

Why is it that we can look critically at the past, but not the present.  Why do we loose the

Comments

[tenwii]

Tis scary indeed.

"Those who are willing to surrender their liberty for some security will wind up with very little of both"

(Either J. Adams or Jefferson...whose ghosts will kick me in the behind for not remembering!)

[ninjaslug]

Ben Franklin said something very similar:
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety."
(I have it as a bumper sticker :) )

[tenwii]

Ah, it WAS Ben Franklin.

My memory is going!

-J

[history_grrl]

I bought Callanghast the t-shirt at a small con in Cali

[warriorbard63]

Actually, it was Ben Franklin;

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

[ravingjackass]

I think, though, that these things are very cyclical - as evidenced by the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Japanese internments, and other things. I'm not sanctioning them by their historically repeated nature, but I do think that this sort of thing often happens in times like these. It is then up to our inherent character and our striving to bring a balance back to the situation - hopefully before too many innocent lives are ruined.

Whether we can be safe without sacrificing any of our liberties? That I don't know.

[warriorbard63]

It's also important to note that while you and most reasonable people do not use these as justifications, some do. John Ashcroft, the former Attorney General, said in a speech at a major university last year that there was solid legal precedent for the interment of terrorism suspects and witnesses at Gitmo Bay...his precedent was the interment of Japanese Americans during WW2. This kind of reasoning from a man who was our top law enforcement officer is frightening, and sadly indicative of the administration's mindset.

[history_grrl]

I guess what I'm really looking for is for us to take our place as the leaders of the free world and truely lead by example.

How beautiful would it be if we said torture is wrong, and then refused to ever stoop so low; or if we were to say nobody has the rights to own weapons that can destroy the world, and were the first to lay down our nukes; or join the world courts and the Kyoto Protocals even though they're not perfect, but because they show a committment to what's right.

Of course, I understand nothing is ever that simple.

But I will live with the hope that peace and respect for all people is attainable.