Originally posted by DavidP
View Post
I understand the dangers, David, but I think it's fair to say that the existence of urban terrorism means we are almost in a "semi-war" situation. In a full-scale war, of course, we lose even more freedoms. There is hardly anything more of a loss of liberty (and possibly life) than military conscription, for example. Yet, in order to be prepared to fight tyranny, democracies may well consider such to be a necessary evil, even in peacetime.
The Boston episode was a clear 'emergency' situation where the normal "rules' were understandably temporarily suspended. Personally, if I were an American, I'd be much more concerned about the current gun laws and the atrocities committed by lone citizens, the latter made much easier by 'the right to bear arms', and that 'right' still stoutly defended by many in the name of individual freedom!
Comment