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August 19, 2009
E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Freedom and The Fourth
Where am I? I am writing to you from a dorm room, at a language program in a large capital city.
Last Sunday, I had to show my passport to enter a church, because at the church I went to, the government does not allow its own citizens to go. I also get strange "error messages" whenever I try to go to the BBC News website. It seems that there is just too much "troublesome" information on that webpage.
After September 11th, I noticed an unfortunate back-tracking in so many of the rights we hold dear. If you oppose extreme measures, some even launch accusations of being soft, coddling the terrorists. September 11th shook America awake to new challenges that we had neglected. It should not - however - shake the foundations of who we are, and hope we represent to people whose internet is controlled, or whose house of worship is regulated.
For some people, who advocate indefinite detentions even for fellow citizens, torture by proxy in other countries, walls of closure around our borders that cannot work, and an expansion of Gitmo even when Bush opposes it - every day seems like it is September 11th. The concern about security takes over everything.
But I also see some positive trends. The need to never give up certain rights, to be an absolutist when it comes to our basic rights, is something that conservative Libertarians and liberal Democrats are 100% agreed upon.
Let's let every day be The Fourth of July - as we defend our liberties rather than allow terrorists to change who we are.