IP: Ain't only liberals who worry about our freedoms -- sounds like old Ben Franklin

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

The following is from Rush Limbaugh  www.rushlimbaugh.com

There's been talk about a national ID card lately. This was one of those 
things I wanted to keep an eye on, because it represented the kind of call 
to give up a little freedom for security I worried about in the wake of the 
September 11th attacks. Well, according to Thursday's Washington Times, the 
administration has given a flat "NO" to implementing this as a 
counter-terrorism measure.

"Deputy Press Secretary Scott McClellan said President Bush is not even 
considering the idea — though many in and out of government are, and the 
debate over the old issue has flared anew. There are no current legislative 
proposals to require such cards. And they are not requested in the package 
of national security measures the administration is asking Congress to pass.

"Yet Rep. George W. Gekas said yesterday lawmakers are being flooded with 
calls from constituents who suggest the government require each person to 
carry standard, federally issued proof of identification. Mr. Gekas, a 
Pennsylvania Republican, chairs the a House subcommittee on immigration. 
Prominent among those arguing for a national identity card is Larry 
Ellison, head of Oracle Corp., the Redwood Shores, California, software 
company."

Now, this is exactly what I was worried about. Here the American people 
want this thing. They think it's going to help, but it's an intrusion. 
We've got to be real careful, ladies and gentlemen, that we do not give up 
our freedoms in exchange for security. The way to gain security, the way to 
hold onto our security, is to expand our freedom, and to affirm that that's 
what this country is all about.

This country is what it is because we had some brilliant men who understood 
the spirit in which the human being is created, that natural yearning to 
be. The founders of this country established a form of government and a set 
of circumstances where that freedom, that natural yearning could flourish 
and produce the best among us, as we pursued our self-interests and our own 
happiness. To constrict freedom in the interest of security is to slowly 
erode the very foundation on which the country is built, and that would be 
a huge error.




For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/