Violence is the enemy of liberty and free men. During my lifetime, between hot and cold wars, the world has known no real peace. Ideology seeks to wipe out other ideologies and reign supreme on the earth, subjugating everyone to its certainties. The struggle holds the germinating seeds of tyranny and oppressive control.
I remember the tremendous struggles of World War II precipitated on the world by Nazi Gemany and the Japanese. They very nearly triumphed and would have if their nuclear programs had succeeded ahead of us. Few people realize how perilously close to losing we came in that conflict.
While we were engaged in that monumental struggle, a lot of common liberties went by the wayside. There was draconian censorship. A fledgling FBI and the forerunner of the CIA intruded into society in an unprecedented way and that attitude carried over into the fiasco of McCarthyism.
Up until now, most struggles have revolved around enemies with at least some borders toward whom we could marshall overwhelming might, held in check by the fear of igniting a nuclear conflagration.
Now, we face an enemy with no real borders and no overwhelming victory is anywhere in sight. As we wipe out the old guard, new recruits rise to take their place, just as or even more fanatical than their predecessors. It's a titanic struggle!
So, what do we do?
As in all struggles, we seek defenses. Things like drones and electronic surveillance to tip us off to planned attacks. These strategies have proven effective, so we want to continue them and even expand them.
I'm not too worried about the present NSA. What worries me is future expansion and commandeering by forces that could turn my country into a twenty-first century version of Nazi Germany. Emergency government programs tend to take on a self-preserving life of their own and to get warped all out of shape from the benign original mission.
I remember all to well the evolution of Herbert Armstrong's cult. When I first got involved in the early fifties, it was a rather family-like and somewhat comforting organization. That soon changed into a controlling monstrosity headed by a man who had become a monster.
We certainly need intelligence against our enemies. We also need to take steps to "bridle the beast" and make certain there are limits to what it can do. Maintaining democracy demands constant vigilance, and if we don't take care to ensure our freedoms are protected, we will wake one morning to find them gone forever.
I remember the tremendous struggles of World War II precipitated on the world by Nazi Gemany and the Japanese. They very nearly triumphed and would have if their nuclear programs had succeeded ahead of us. Few people realize how perilously close to losing we came in that conflict.
While we were engaged in that monumental struggle, a lot of common liberties went by the wayside. There was draconian censorship. A fledgling FBI and the forerunner of the CIA intruded into society in an unprecedented way and that attitude carried over into the fiasco of McCarthyism.
Up until now, most struggles have revolved around enemies with at least some borders toward whom we could marshall overwhelming might, held in check by the fear of igniting a nuclear conflagration.
Now, we face an enemy with no real borders and no overwhelming victory is anywhere in sight. As we wipe out the old guard, new recruits rise to take their place, just as or even more fanatical than their predecessors. It's a titanic struggle!
So, what do we do?
As in all struggles, we seek defenses. Things like drones and electronic surveillance to tip us off to planned attacks. These strategies have proven effective, so we want to continue them and even expand them.
I'm not too worried about the present NSA. What worries me is future expansion and commandeering by forces that could turn my country into a twenty-first century version of Nazi Germany. Emergency government programs tend to take on a self-preserving life of their own and to get warped all out of shape from the benign original mission.
I remember all to well the evolution of Herbert Armstrong's cult. When I first got involved in the early fifties, it was a rather family-like and somewhat comforting organization. That soon changed into a controlling monstrosity headed by a man who had become a monster.
We certainly need intelligence against our enemies. We also need to take steps to "bridle the beast" and make certain there are limits to what it can do. Maintaining democracy demands constant vigilance, and if we don't take care to ensure our freedoms are protected, we will wake one morning to find them gone forever.
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