On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry before the Virginia House of Burgesses made a dramatic argument for a resolution to send Virginia's troop off to fight the British in our country's bid for freedom. He ended the speech with the famous, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!".
The Bush Administration has stomped on Patrick Henry's passion for freedom and created an atmosphere of fear through everything they have touched. When the Senate passed the FISA I thought about how many of our 'unalienable Rights' we Americans have given up to this war without end. While our troops are being blown to bits by IED's, our liberties here at home are dying a slow but steady death with each signing statement and each deception perpetrated by the Executive Branch.
I would rather die in a terrorist attack then allow the domestic surveillance of any citizen's email, phone calls, medical records, library usage or financial transactions. The Fourth Amendment of our Constitution is suppose to protect all citizens from warrantless searches and seizures. In a country with 300 million citizens the few that are true terrorists does not justify the use of burglary or coercion with a threat of imprisonment to our bankers and doctors to get one's medical and/or financial records. If someone is suspected of terrorism it shouldn't be hard to get the proper warrants.
I would rather die in a terrorist attack then forsake the Geneva conventions in the name of our nation. To describe these international laws as 'quaint' and say that terrorists are non-combatants lessens ourselves and this nation. Suspected or even real terrorists shouldn't be grabbed off the streets in Italy by CIA operatives and flown to a third country outside any oversight of our legal system or even the Red Cross. Waterboarding should not be an interrogative method used on anyone.
I would rather die in a terrorist attack then give up anyone's right of habeas corpus. To argue that this war without end somehow suspends this right because it is not 'guaranteed' to all citizens is just absurd. The non-combatants held in Gautanamo or other 'secret' prisons should have their day in court and representation by legal counsel. We granted these rights to some of the most notorious war crimes at Nuremberg. It shouldn't be different now.
I would rather die in a terrorist attack then have a CIA operative outed by the Office of the Vice President because her husband wrote an op-ed telling the truth about lies told by President Bush. Lies told to justify the decision already made by the commander-in-chief to invade Iraq. A decision that allowed a true terrorist, Osama bin Ladin, to escape and still be at large today.
I'm not afraid of dying in a terrorist attack but I am afraid that this country is no longer the country of our founding fathers.
Update We have a volunteer army of our citizens who have given their lives in Iraq on lies. I read the call outs to the right about putting their lives on the line if they truly believe the lies of this administration. The point of this diary is to say I'm willing to give my life too but not at the loss of all our 'unalienable Rights'. Freedom to me is worth the loss of my life. Ben Franklin had it right and so did Patrick Henry.