Thursday, February 21, 2008

Eric Foner on Liberty and Security

Benjamin Franklin once remarked famously: "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

It's a delicate balance. How much liberty should we give up in order to maintain a degree of public security? At what point do we cross Ben Franklin's line in the sand - and "deserve neither"?

1 comment:

Brad Hart said...

There is an excellent book out (I forget the author) entitled "Rubicon" the last days of the Roman Republic. In the book, the author mentions the fact that it was the FEAR of the people, and their willingness to see certain liberies neglected, that allowed Julius Caesar to overthrow the republic. I sure hope that those days never come here. I for one LOVE the American Republic, but I would DETEST an American Empire.