During the speech last night by Dubya, he gave us some inspirational words – namely that his motivation shall “lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty”. While of course he wouldn’t say anything else, since he’s in a position whereby it is his job to make sure that you are inspired, I have to wonder if anyone else was as amused by this position as I was.
If anything, we as a country have done nothing but lost liberty since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and while I don’t necessarily agree with him in many cases, I would generally say that he at least tries in most cases. Or at least he tries to make us think that he is trying. What becomes difficult for him is trying to convince a populace that security is a difficult concept in such a world. But in this case, it’s less of a best-case scenario and more of a flat-out lie.
While people will naturally define liberty differently, as they should, I think most would agree that there are some things that you perhaps would sacrifice in exchange for security. For instance, having to take off your shoes as you go through security at the airport. It doesn’t make anything any safer, but if it makes someone a little happier, what the heck. It’s a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things. But when does it stop?