Thursday, June 29, 2006
The America haters who understand what America is all about
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-Benjamin Franklin
Amazing, isn't it, how some Americans would virtually take a match to the Bill of Rights if they could live free from terror. And of course the terrorists would applaud these patriots for the utter scorn they show for the American values they pretend to hold dear. We see this in the outrage over the New York Times' decision to publish a story last Sunday describing how authorities are monitoring financial transactions among suspected terrorists. As a Times subscriber, I read the story myself on Sunday and concluded that Uncle Sam's scrutiny of these transactions is reasonable and any intrusion into civil rights was minimal.
Nonetheless, I was glad for the opportunity to decide for myself. You see, these days the Bush administration should be granted little quarter when they argue wartime, national security, and so forth. Yes, I know we're at war, and we don't want to tip off terrorists. But Bush's abuse of this argument and his clear unyielding desire to always keep Americans in the dark leave me with little sympathies to his and other war supporters' arguments that informing the public equals aiding and comforting terrorists.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know what was going on at Abu Graib and Guantanamo. But I'm glad the liberal media allowed us Americans to decide for ourselves.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know about the archipelago of secret prisons the CIA is operating. But I'm glad the America-haters in the press decided that Americans should judge for themselves whether this was important.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know that our country has systematically used torture in its efforts to gather intelligence. But I'm glad the terrorist sympathizers who cover the news chose not to let our leader make that call for the rest of us.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know that the terrorist fighters routinely eavesdrop on telephone conversations with no outside oversight and that they wish to collect data on every last phone call every last one us has made since 9/11. But I'm glad the commie pinko faggots in the Fourth Estate were undeterred.
So perhaps you can see why I have a lot of trouble sympathizing when I hear once again that keeping Americans informed on what their government is up to constitutes sedition. Needless to say, Dick Cheney is outraged and said as much in a speech yesterday. A Republican congressman from New York has publicly urged the attorny general to investigate for possible espionage charges. And in one of the more laughable attempts at censure, the head librarian at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio took it upon himself to cancel the tiny liberal arts school's subscription. After all, since the librarian is unhappy with the Times no one else should be allowed to read it, yet more evidence that the loudest of our self-proclaimed patriots seem to understand least why America is so great.
Perhaps in response, I should extend my own Times subscription to seven days.
-Benjamin Franklin
Amazing, isn't it, how some Americans would virtually take a match to the Bill of Rights if they could live free from terror. And of course the terrorists would applaud these patriots for the utter scorn they show for the American values they pretend to hold dear. We see this in the outrage over the New York Times' decision to publish a story last Sunday describing how authorities are monitoring financial transactions among suspected terrorists. As a Times subscriber, I read the story myself on Sunday and concluded that Uncle Sam's scrutiny of these transactions is reasonable and any intrusion into civil rights was minimal.
Nonetheless, I was glad for the opportunity to decide for myself. You see, these days the Bush administration should be granted little quarter when they argue wartime, national security, and so forth. Yes, I know we're at war, and we don't want to tip off terrorists. But Bush's abuse of this argument and his clear unyielding desire to always keep Americans in the dark leave me with little sympathies to his and other war supporters' arguments that informing the public equals aiding and comforting terrorists.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know what was going on at Abu Graib and Guantanamo. But I'm glad the liberal media allowed us Americans to decide for ourselves.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know about the archipelago of secret prisons the CIA is operating. But I'm glad the America-haters in the press decided that Americans should judge for themselves whether this was important.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know that our country has systematically used torture in its efforts to gather intelligence. But I'm glad the terrorist sympathizers who cover the news chose not to let our leader make that call for the rest of us.
I'm sure Bush didn't want us to know that the terrorist fighters routinely eavesdrop on telephone conversations with no outside oversight and that they wish to collect data on every last phone call every last one us has made since 9/11. But I'm glad the commie pinko faggots in the Fourth Estate were undeterred.
So perhaps you can see why I have a lot of trouble sympathizing when I hear once again that keeping Americans informed on what their government is up to constitutes sedition. Needless to say, Dick Cheney is outraged and said as much in a speech yesterday. A Republican congressman from New York has publicly urged the attorny general to investigate for possible espionage charges. And in one of the more laughable attempts at censure, the head librarian at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio took it upon himself to cancel the tiny liberal arts school's subscription. After all, since the librarian is unhappy with the Times no one else should be allowed to read it, yet more evidence that the loudest of our self-proclaimed patriots seem to understand least why America is so great.
Perhaps in response, I should extend my own Times subscription to seven days.
