This is no time to sacrifice our liberties

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, September 12, 2001

Act of war, gruesome act of barbarism, bitter tragedy – all of these are true of the attack on this country Tuesday. But the thing that worries me more than further such attacks and loss of life is the evil use that some of our own people will surely try to make of these events.

There has always been among us a strident minority that thinks Americans have too much liberty. This sentiment spans the whole spectrum of ideology: some, like Sen. Charles Schumer, would like to disarm law-abiding citizens, take our guns from us and leave us fair game for the violent criminal who can never be disarmed. Others would dismantle the First Amendment, to force all of us to be “righteous,” as they perceive righteousness. And these people are always ready, poised to pounce on any crisis as a pretext to diminish our liberties.

I was dismayed to hear a caller to a late-night talk show say he would be ready to give up some liberty in exchange for more security. A great statesman in our history, whose name I can’t remember, said that those who give up liberty in exchange for security will have neither liberty nor safety – and will not deserve them. Now above all times, let us be vigilant in defense of our liberties here; vengeance may be a false chimera, a vain hope. The enemies without are less dangerous than those within.

Arlington