Price Shopping for Tin Foil

I don’t know whether to categorize this under “Commentary” or “News”. At any rate…

  • Republicans Losing Libertarian Support [foxnews.com]
  • You Are a Suspect [nytimes.com]

    Like Mr. Balko, author of the Fox News article above, I voted for Bush in 2000. I happened to view that article this morning, and it, to some extent, describes just what I’ve been thinking about the past few days. I’m not about to vote for a Democrat, and I’m still largely Republican and certainly right-wing, but I’m saddened that the party line and especially the President seems to be abandoning the “smaller government” credo and throwing personal freedoms out the window in the interest of “national security”. Let me get this straight: President Bush is going to ensure that we stay “free” by taking away our freedoms? Right…

    I’m not quite to the point of supporting Harry Browne and wearing tin foil, but I’m not too happy with the way things are going right now. I’m offended by the USA Patriot Act and the new Homeland Security bills. They’re anti-liberty in the interest of some nebulous, unattainable “security” that people seem to want. As I posted here on 13 September 2001:

    “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
    — Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

    I think that quote is ringing true more and more the longer this “terror” scare plays out.