Thoughts on trading security for liberty

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790 (This sentence was much used in the Revolutionary period. It occurs even so early as November, 1755, in an answer by the Assembly of Pennsylvania to the Governor, and forms the motto of Franklin’s ‘Historical Review,’ 1759, appearing also in the body of the work. –Frothingham: Rise of the Republic of the United States, p. 413.)

There is no conflict between liberty and safety. We will have both or neither. Ramsey Clark

The man who has nothing which he cares about more than his personal safety is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. Ronald Reagan, Jan 25, 1974

Mr. Speaker, what, then, is the answer to the question: ‘Is America a Police State?’ My answer is: ‘Maybe not yet, but it is fast approaching.’ The seeds have been sown and many of our basic protections against tyranny have been and are constantly being undermined. The post-9/11 atmosphere here in Congress has provided ample excuse to concentrate on safety at the expense of liberty, failing to recognize that we cannot have one without the other. Ron Paul June 27, 2002 (Rep, R- Texas)