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Outrage
by A.X. Perez
[email protected]

Attribute to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
—Variation of statement attributed to Benjamin Franklin

"If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And, if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."
—Zoë Alleyne Washburne, in Firefly

Recently The Blaze posted an article about a child who was assigned by his teacher in class to write the following: "I am willing to give up some of my constitutional rights in order to be safer or more secure." (Neale Osborn put me wise to this). As a teacher in Texas who is expected to teach the first quote I was infuriated that someone would teach this garbage. As a lover of freedom I was infuriated. As a free man and free American I was infuriated. I understand the kid's father was a damn sight angrier than I'll ever be. It was, after all, his kid being taught this heinous lie.

And lie it is it is in fact impossible to trade Constitutional rights for security. Constitutional rights are the statement of God given (not state granted) liberties needed to protect our lives, loved ones, liberty, and property, that is, they are the minimum guarantees needed to assure us that agents of the state will not descend on us like the Reivers of Firefly (see quote above). they are so minimal that it was necessary to add the Ninth Amendment, stating that failure to enumerate a right did not mean it didn't exist.

For generations the enemies of freedom have tried to tell us that if we give up a little freedom we will gain more security. In fact, they mean, and we understand, that they will give us security if we let them steal someone else's freedom. They have tried to trick us into being their Judas goats.

No more.

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