Philadelphia Inquirer
by staff

12/28/05

Nobody ever said it was a risk-free proposition to stand by the U.S. Constitution. Not the nation's founders, certainly: They risked their very lives in waging the war for independence that led to enshrining the Constitution's democratic ideals in the first place. And now the threat of terrorism sharpens the risk posed by living in an open, democratic society. As long as the nation values and protects by law the rights of everyday Americans to be spared from unwarranted snooping, its enemies could find ways to exploit that openness -- as they assuredly did on Sept. 11, 2001. Citizens have a choice. They can live with that risk, understanding it for the central role it plays in making this a nation worth preserving. Or they can surrender to fear -- out of a misguided sense that no civil liberty is so cherished as to risk another terror attack by its defense...

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/opinion/13496902.htm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp