Unalienable rights

In the preamble to the Declaration of Independence our forefathers averred that we have certain unalienable rights. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. They used this as a justification for their actions because they were explaining to their mother country, England, that because she was trying to destroy these rights they would have to fight for them.

Five years ago my wife reported to me while I was in the shower that a "missile" had just hit a building in New York. Throughout the day we watched in horror as thousands of our fellow Americans lost their lives in a senseless tragedy. I felt justified as our president struck out at the heart of those that would do this by attacking the main country that harbored them, Afghanistan under Taliban rule. If felt pride when we helped that country restore the basic human rights that we claimed from England more than two-hundred years ago.

I felt indifference when the Patriot act was quickly passed allowing our government to remove certain rights from it's people, after all, only those that do wrong should have anything to worry about. Right?

I am not a quick thinker at times. It took more than four years for my opinion on this matter to change. Now I think that we have reason to be ashamed. That those same rights that tens of thousands of brave men died to obtain during the Revolutionary war were so quickly abandoned out of fear when a mere fraction of that total were sacrificed in 2001.

Now, lest you believe I don't care for the lives of those that died that day let me vehemently protest. Their sacrifice was a sad one. Let us not insult their sacrifice by destroying liberties along with them. Let us honor their sacrifice and in their name restore the rights that were surrendered to fear.

I have heard the phrase, said in derision, that people that fight the patriot act want to give rights to terrorists. Let us not forget that one of the foundational principles of our justice system is that all men are innocent until proven guilty. This system applies just as equally to those that are not citizens of our country. I would not protect the guilty to establish rights. No, but I would that we should prove them guilty before we convict them. Obtain the permission of a judge before we spy on them.

And if you are wondering if I would allow another atrocity like 9/11 to occur because I don't think it is right to violate privacy I would answer a resounding YES! I do not want the atrocity, but, like those brave revolutionaries, I am willing to sacrifice my life and some of my security if in doing so my family's freedoms are protected.

I realize that I'm a little late in speaking out. I realize that my humble blog is only read by two people...maybe; but I also had to write this down. Count me as one American that cares, even if I don't know how else to make my voice heard.