Let’s keep things in perspective, shall we?
Dating back as far as WWII, our society has depended upon a certain subliminal level of threat. It’s a part of what has kept our economy functioning, and our nation united. As long as there exists a “Them” for the idea of patriotism to create an “Us” to we have been assured that our ‘representative’ Democracy has acted on our behalf, and for our own protection. There was an excellent post on BB today regarding the dichotomy that this really engenders. From the Wired article:
“If you set up the false dichotomy, of course people will choose security over privacy — especially if you scare them first. But it’s still a false dichotomy. There is no security without privacy. And liberty requires both security and privacy. The famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin reads: “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” It’s also true that those who would give up privacy for security are likely to end up with neither. ”
Just demonstrates that going out on a limb and speaking up might just well be the most patriotic thing you could do.
Via BoingBoing Via LawGeek
