The boogie man will getcha if you don't give up your privacy
Robert Rouse
December 19, 2005
FEAR - *n 1: an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight) [syn: fearfulness, fright] [ant: fearlessness] 2: an anxious feeling; "care had aged him"; "they hushed it up out of fear of public reaction" [syn: concern, care] 3: a profound emotion inspired by a deity; "the fear of God" [syn: reverence, awe, veneration] v 1: be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event; "I fear she might get aggressive" 2: be afraid or scared of; be frightened of; "I fear the winters in Moscow"; "We should not fear the Communists!" [syn: dread] 3: be sorry; used to introduce an unpleasant statement; "I fear I won't make it to your wedding party" 4: be uneasy or apprehensive about; "I fear the results of the final exams" 5: regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of; "Fear God as your father"; "We venerate genius" [syn: reverence, revere, venerate]
Perhaps a new definition of fear would be "a tool of the government to further their agenda." Let's be honest, since 9/11 Bush and his cronies have consistently used fear. We have to take away some of your civil liberties so we can fight the big bad terrorists. We have to destroy the regime of Saddam Hussein to fight the big bad terrorists. We have to defeat the evil liberals of the left so homosexual couples won't move in next door to our children. Over the weekend, Bush has mad a push toward telling us how the Patriot Act must be renewed in order to fight the evils of the terrorists who are forever plotting against us.
Okay, I will admit that there are probably some terrorist out there who want to unleash some form of terror against the United States . . . I'm not stupid. But what I don't understand is how listening to my neighbor John's phone call to his sister in France is going to prevent such an attack. It's ludicrous. If there is a real threat, Bush has the use of the federal court system to issue legal warrants to do many of the same things he is doing now.
The problem is, the Pentagon is compiling a database of people who work toward a peaceful end to the aggression in Iraq. And once there is a file on you in the database, there will be people who want to fill that file with relevant data. In my case, it's pretty easy . . . just read my blog if you want to know my inner most thoughts on Bush and his administration.
Fear is a mighty tool. There are people out there who disagree with the IRS, but fear of an audit may keep them from speaking out. There are candidates for national office who feel very strongly against the war in Iraq, but a fear of looking weak and losing the election keep them from sticking to their convictions. Fear of the unknown kept generations of explorers from venturing out too far on the ocean. It wasn't until Chris Columbus decided to go to India that North and South America were discovered.
It is now up to each and every one of us to decide which is more important . . . our personal privacy and basic civil liberties or giving up those same liberties and privacy for a little security.
Our founding fathers knew what they were doing when they bestowed these liberties upon us. Two of my favorite quotes on freedom come from Jefferson and Franklin.
In 1759, Benjamin Franklin wrote in the Historical Review of Pennsylvania, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
In 1791, Thomas Jefferson told Archibald Stuart, "I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
The truth is out there if you really want to see it. Our occupation of Iraq is creating more terrorists than it is destroying. The longer we stay, the more hated we become. On a personal level, I am much more interested in maintaining our freedoms than spreading democracy through the world. You best lead by example, not by beating someone over the head.
source of definition, WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
Perhaps a new definition of fear would be "a tool of the government to further their agenda." Let's be honest, since 9/11 Bush and his cronies have consistently used fear. We have to take away some of your civil liberties so we can fight the big bad terrorists. We have to destroy the regime of Saddam Hussein to fight the big bad terrorists. We have to defeat the evil liberals of the left so homosexual couples won't move in next door to our children. Over the weekend, Bush has mad a push toward telling us how the Patriot Act must be renewed in order to fight the evils of the terrorists who are forever plotting against us.
Okay, I will admit that there are probably some terrorist out there who want to unleash some form of terror against the United States . . . I'm not stupid. But what I don't understand is how listening to my neighbor John's phone call to his sister in France is going to prevent such an attack. It's ludicrous. If there is a real threat, Bush has the use of the federal court system to issue legal warrants to do many of the same things he is doing now.
The problem is, the Pentagon is compiling a database of people who work toward a peaceful end to the aggression in Iraq. And once there is a file on you in the database, there will be people who want to fill that file with relevant data. In my case, it's pretty easy . . . just read my blog if you want to know my inner most thoughts on Bush and his administration.
Fear is a mighty tool. There are people out there who disagree with the IRS, but fear of an audit may keep them from speaking out. There are candidates for national office who feel very strongly against the war in Iraq, but a fear of looking weak and losing the election keep them from sticking to their convictions. Fear of the unknown kept generations of explorers from venturing out too far on the ocean. It wasn't until Chris Columbus decided to go to India that North and South America were discovered.
It is now up to each and every one of us to decide which is more important . . . our personal privacy and basic civil liberties or giving up those same liberties and privacy for a little security.
Our founding fathers knew what they were doing when they bestowed these liberties upon us. Two of my favorite quotes on freedom come from Jefferson and Franklin.
In 1759, Benjamin Franklin wrote in the Historical Review of Pennsylvania, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
In 1791, Thomas Jefferson told Archibald Stuart, "I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
The truth is out there if you really want to see it. Our occupation of Iraq is creating more terrorists than it is destroying. The longer we stay, the more hated we become. On a personal level, I am much more interested in maintaining our freedoms than spreading democracy through the world. You best lead by example, not by beating someone over the head.
source of definition, WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
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