It seems to me that America and the rest of the civilized world is increasingly becoming driven by fear. Fear of the next shooting, or of a bombing and will tolerate any and all efforts to keep them safe. Recently in Boston, authorities were going door to door, forcing people out of their own homes at gun point and searching them and their homes without warrants. Granted, there was a crazed gunman with improvised explosive devises on the run, and a massive manhunt in progress to capture the person, but locking down a city the size of Boston and forcing people to remain in their homes until authorities could search enough of those homes to find one person seems a little unreasonable. The media reported praise by the citizens of Boston for the swift action by authorities. But the thing that led to the bombers capture, was an observation by a citizen who went outside. I for one do not want to put my life and freedom on hold every time someone mentions a gun or a terror threat. Nor do I want to trade my freedom for safety. Mayor Bloomberg is already saying that after the Boston bombing we will have to change the way we interpret the Constitution. His idea of a free society is that we are only free to do as we are told and that government surveillance must increase as well as searches of us and our property and our right to be armed for self-defense must be taken away. When we continue to tolerate this type of action by our authorities it only encourages them to continue.
If I can’t be safe and free at the same time, then I will gladly give up safety and rely on myself for protection. I would rather live in a world with bombs going off in the streets than give up my freedom. That is what is required of our sons and daughters when sent to war and I would gladly stand with them on American streets to protect that freedom. What does your freedom mean to you?
Randy Johnson
itsmycountrytoo.org 