The problem with this, just like other quotes attributed to Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, etc., is that there is no explantaion why the other rights lose thier value. Saying your above quote in response to the "Don't do anything wrong" crowd doesn't change thier mind. They still say don't do anything wrong and it doesn't matter who sees your "private affairs, books, and papers".
Unfortunately the only arguements to specifically show how the erosion of one right has lead to tyrannical acts, get labeled as "conspiracy theories" (said with that derogatory sneer) or that the people involved whose rights were violated (i.e. American citizens held now for over a year, in secret, with no contact to thier families or access to lawyers) "deserve what they get, 'cause they're *gasp, whisper* terrorists".
My response at that point is that in our modern democracy, with the mojority being as ignorant of what is really going on as they are, they pretty are getting the government they deserve... unfortunately, I have to have it also.
Yeah, the U.S. is so far behind. I mean all those stupid red tinted pictures that they've been splashing all over the news the last few days. Any Afghani with a polaroid could take better pictures than that in his back yard...
Slashdot Mirror
The problem with this, just like other quotes attributed to Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, etc., is that there is no explantaion why the other rights lose thier value. Saying your above quote in response to the "Don't do anything wrong" crowd doesn't change thier mind. They still say don't do anything wrong and it doesn't matter who sees your "private affairs, books, and papers".
Unfortunately the only arguements to specifically show how the erosion of one right has lead to tyrannical acts, get labeled as "conspiracy theories" (said with that derogatory sneer) or that the people involved whose rights were violated (i.e. American citizens held now for over a year, in secret, with no contact to thier families or access to lawyers) "deserve what they get, 'cause they're *gasp, whisper* terrorists". My response at that point is that in our modern democracy, with the mojority being as ignorant of what is really going on as they are, they pretty are getting the government they deserve... unfortunately, I have to have it also.
Yeah, the U.S. is so far behind. I mean all those stupid red tinted pictures that they've been splashing all over the news the last few days. Any Afghani with a polaroid could take better pictures than that in his back yard...