This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: [GWL]: Irradiation and freedom

Doug,
you raise some good points.  I believe it was Ben Franklin who said, A nation 
that gives up a little freedom in exchange for a little security will 
eventually have neither.  (No quotation marks, because I'm not that sure of 
the accuracy or the author.)
It's easy to say you'll give up this or put up with that if it'll help 
prevent another 9/11/01.  But trashing my privacy, or yours; or my freedom, 
or yours, from unreasonable searches, be they physical or electronic, 
prevents nothing.  Abusing everyone's rights is not the same as abusing 
nobody's.
How many 'minor' inconveniences will we go along with?  We already submit to 
a lot of intrusions -- "routine" stops and searches, DUI checkpoints where 
everyone is assumed guilty until they prove their innocence, State sale of 
personal information, etc.  Will daily life in the USA of, say, 2010 feel 
more like the USA of 2000, or the USSR of 1970?
Please don't overinterpret this rant.  I'm not heading for the hills of Utah, 
or stockpiling arms and canned goods.  I'm a suburbanite with a mortgage, a 
bunch of frequent flier miles, and a vested interest in the status quo.  But 
what we'll do to ourselves -- all of us -- worries me more than what the next 
assault might do to a few of us.

JF

============================================================
Protect your e-commerce transactions with SERIOUS security!
For all you need to know about upgrading your site security 
to 128-bit SSL encryption, read VeriSign's FREE guide, 
"Securing Your Web Site for Business". Click here now! 
http://click.topica.com/caaadVEbUrGSSbVSZwBf/VeriSign
============================================================

Pass the word to garden writers, editors publishers, horticultural businesses about our list.

==^================================================================
EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrGSS.bVSZwB
Or send an email To: Gardenwriters-unsubscribe@topica.com
This email was sent to: topica.com@spamfodder.com

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index