Kudos (and thanks) to reader Ken who pointed out (what I suspected but neglected to confirm) that the people all in a lather over the NSA "controversy" are misquoting Ben Franklin!
One thing that bugs we about the whole situation is the smear job they are doing on Ben Franklin by misquoting him. His original quote was,"They who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
By removing the words "essential" and "temporary" you can interpret it to mean that no liberties should ever be given up for any amount of safety.
The other problem I have with the people using this quote to attack the NSA is that there is a huge difference between privacy and liberty. Allowing them to listen in on phone calls means giving up some privacy but it does not take away your liberty to make the call.
Morons. Complaining about someone having taken something they still have.
Posted by insomnomaniac at January 26, 2006 8:35 PM | TrackBack