Americans discard Bill of Rights

[Dennis]

On the weekend after 9/11 “...Reader’s Digest and Yahoo! asked people
to give their opinions about security and civil liberties.”

Civil liberties lost.

(quote)
How Much Freedom Would You Give Up?
More then 30,000 people responded to our online poll about the
trade-offs between keeping citizens safe and preserving their day-to-day
liberties. The results:

1. For better airport security, would you agree to:

No carry-on luggage, except for small purses, briefcases or diaper bags?
Yes 71% No 28%

Passport inspection, even on domestic flights
Yes 74% No 25%

Hand searches of all carry-on bags
Yes 84% No 15%

2. Do you favor allowing our intelligence agencies to:

Use wiretaps
Yes 69% No 30%

Videotape faces in the crowd at public events, such as concerts or
football games
Yes 77% No 22%

Establish a national registration of digital identity checks, such as
fingerprints or eye scans
Yes 70% No 29%

3. Many countries require security precautions that affect everyday life.
Would you agree to:

UPC codes on cars, luggage and other possessions
Yes 62% No 37%

Searches of purses, briefcases and bags at stores, restaurants and
shopping centers
Yes 20% No 79%

Police with automatic weapons on patrol in public places
Yes 48% No 51%

Required registration of all residents with local police, and annual
re-registration
Yes 35% No 64%
(end quote)
Note: All quotes from Reader’s Digest, November 2001 edition, page 14

Tell me again how we’re going to restore the Second Amendment while
Americans seem eager to give away the entire Bill of Rights.

As I age, I find the times I am ashamed of my countrymen happen more frequently.

 

[Mike in VA]

I had some minor surgery this morning, and I hope the above is just the drugs talking . . . .

Wow! That's pretty disgusting. I thought the events of teh last month had started to erode teh "it can't happen here" mentality. Does anyone have a clue that when you're granting 'government' such intrusive powers in the name of 'security', it's just a matter of time before those same 'powers' will be used on the citizens in the name of some other kind of 'security'. I guess we're only 30 years late on reaching Orwell's 1984 .

Someone much older and smarter than me once said 'Those who would trade some liberty for some security desrve neither '. Do these stupid sheep realize that they're doing to themselves exactly what the fascist wankers we're trying to deal with would do to them.

"We have met the enemy, and he is us" Pogo.

Disgusting. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[Correia]

It looks like 1/3 of us aren't willing to give up any rights. Those would be the part of the population that TFL represents.

Another 1/3 is prepared to give up some stuff, as long as it doesn't "inconvenience" them.

The final 1/3 is prepared to give up everything and let big brother do everything for them.

Great. I figure that our only hope is to get that middle 1/3 and whack them with the clue bat. The bottom 1/3 is hopeless.

 

[ctdonath]

Number of respondents who can name the 10 points in the Bill Of Rights: very few indeed.

If they don't know what their rights are, they probably won't try to exercise or defend them.

 

[Kaylee]

Great. I figure that our only hope is to get that middle 1/3 and whack them with the clue bat.

I don't know where to find a clue bat. Can't we just find the bottom 1/3 and use a regular bat?

-K

 

[jimpeel]

The problem is that most of today's generation, and much of the preceding generation, have been brainwashed that the BoR is a document for the protection of criminals and, as such, is not applicable to them. Since thay are not criminals, in the ordinary sense of the word, they, in their addled minds, have given up nothing.

 

[Skorzeny]

There is a difference between measures that are merely inconveniences and those that violate our civil liberties.

Asking us for two forms of ID before boarding a plane is an inconvenience. Asking us to show an internal passport is a violation of our liberties.

Checking our bags twice over before a flight is an inconvenience (you don't like it, you don't have to fly with that airline or fly at all). Searching us at street corners is a violation.

Skorzeny

 

[Hal]

How Much Freedom Would You Give Up?

The correct answer should be NONE!!!!

Our freedom is our strength, and it's exactly what our ememy fears/hates the most about us. In a time when our freedom should be expanded, I can't imagine freedom being curtailed. Our "giving up freedom" is the same as admitting defeat. If that's what's being planned, we might as well save the trouble, and all don headcoverings and beat our women.