Nothing redefines our freedom

"Terror redefines our freedom". This is perhaps the third or fourth provocative headline I've seen on the Sydney Morning Herald site. The conspiracist in me is beginming to wonder if the SMH isn't doing it deliberately to make people think.

Mr Howard signalled that civil liberties may have to be redefined in the battle against terrorism. "The most important civil liberty I have and you have is to stay alive and to be free from violence and death," he said.

"I think when people talk about civil liberties they sometimes forget that action taken to protect the citizen against physical attack is a blow in favour and not a blow against civil liberties."

Oh that's so true. Egypt - shining light of civil liberties that it is, with its two decade long state of emergency and uncontested presidential elections  - is completely free of terrorist strikes .

Why not look to Israel? Identity cards, work permits and apparently the inspiration for any number of countries to recently allow shoot-to-kill rights to the police. Of course, the Israelis go further and allow for suspects to be kidnapped off the street, or better yet, car-bombed or rocketed; all these have, of course, resulted in Israel being completely free of terrorism.

So yes, Mr Howard. Let's redefine civil liberties in light of terrorism. While we are at it though, can we please do some redefining of terrorism as well so that it applies to anyone we don't like?
Permalink, Nothing redefines our freedom, Aug 2005, avocadia
cam: Government and Media cannot be trusted:

They are too hysterical. I still dont see what is gained by government in moving us towards a National Security State. It just adds cost, bureaucratic weight and more process. Maybe it is the population control that interests the politicians . Creating a fear dependancy that will keep the electorate voting in the incumbent. In the US the terror warnings were up and down like a toilet seat before the 2004 presidential election, yet afterwards they just stopped.

The media also needs to understand what \"freedom\" is. It is the absence of external coercion on an individual. Liberty is the freedom of action in s social (or government environment).

Terrorists cannot coerce us. They usually just blow something up, including themselves and cause a temporary disruption. That isnt coercion. By comparison the government has a monopoly on ceorcion. So much so they can arbitrarily take our money from us whenever they wish. Anyone who doubts government\'s monopoly on coercion should try not paying their taxes one year and see what happens.

The only way liberties can be taken away from us is by government expanding itself into the individual domain. The headline should read; Government hysterical, thinks it can stop terrorism by making the individual an illegal entity.

cam

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