It didn't just happen


Why the War on Terror reflects our domestic struggles
I'm not a big believer in coincidence.

I think that human progress follows patterns.

I don't think it is an accident that at the same time Americans are confronting fundamentalist ideologies abroad, we're struggling to define new roles for both religion and government domestically.

I don't think it's an accident that even with all the deaths, the American military has fought the most humane war in history, even at the cost of military efficiency.

I don't think it's an accident that as Americans argue over what rights a terrorist suspect should have, the demand to recognize human rights is growing all over the globe.

Imagine if the recent New York Times leaks had happened in China. Do you think the paper would still exist? If the leaks had happened in Iran, do you think the reporters and editors would still be alive?

Now I am not a "my country, right or wrong" kind of guy. I am appalled by many things that our government is doing in our name.

But folks, we're arguing over it! We're debating it. We're sweating over it. We're crying over it. We're bleeding over it. And no matter what they want to do, the politicos have to pay attention to issues that get enough noise.

These issues of rights, these issues of freedoms, these issues of liberty and democracy are being tested.

As they should be.

It's our civilization at stake and it's not just happening overseas. The voices that are heard now and the decisions we make will likely shape our nation and culture for the next couple of centuries. That's why everyone wants to be heard.

That is why the statists keep trying the "top down" solutions.

"Freedom to obey" is not liberty.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Fri - June 30, 2006 at 05:10 AM  Tag


 ◊  ◊   ◊  ◊ 

Random selections from NeoWayland's library


Pagan Vigil "Because LIBERTY demands more than just black or white"
© 2005 - 2009 All Rights Reserved