Neither Liberty nor Safety

The Fourth of July was a time for pure patriotism.

However, on this, the sixth day of July, allow me a little criticism. At a time when we are eager to abandon the values of the Declaration of Independence and shred the Constitution in fear of a band of criminals, we should remember that those documents were written and signed by men who were almost certain to fail in their revolution against the most powerful empire in the world and be executed as a result.

Patrick Henry's "give me liberty or give me death" was not just a slogan. It was a gravely serious decision. But Franklin's quote is strikingly applicable to our current debates. "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

From warrantless wiretapping to suspension of habeas corpus, people have been alarmingly willing to sacrifice liberty for safety. In addition, endorsing actions such as torture sacrifice other important values to the cause of fighting terrorism.

In a very good column shortly after the attacks of September 11th, Dan Kennedy and Harvey Silverglate warned against sacrificing civil liberties in the fight against terrorism. I worry how much farther we will go in the event of another, perhaps more devastating attack.

The goal of terrorism is right there in the name - terror. It is possible that Bush has given Osama bin Laden exactly what he wanted with the invasion of Iraq. We know that bin Laden once wanted oil to reach its current price of $144 per barrel. Our reaction to terrorism must be prudent, but more importantly, our reaction to terrorism must be consistent with our values.

While we should aggressively pursue terrorists both militarily and in the criminal justice system, the most effective way to combat terrorism is to refuse to live in fear. Terrorists will always have the capacity to take our lives, but they need our help to take our liberties and our values.