Franklin’s Patriots and Bush’s Turncoats

Published in the December 2001 Issue of the Old North End RAG

 I think that one of the most discouraging effects to materialize out of the horror of the September 11^th attacks is the knee-jerk reaction of many Americans to accept, wholeheartedly, the desecration of their civil rights by the government. In fact, many Americans seem to be willing to throw in the towel on protecting their rights for the perceived purpose of helping the authorities safeguard the nation. Like Dan Rather of CBS, many move to line up behind Bush and the flag because, they say, they are being patriotic. But is it really patriotism they embody when they allow their Bill of Rights to be modified and corrupted in such an appalling manner? I think if Jefferson or Franklin were alive today they would say that some people’s self-proclaimed patriotism were but masks for their weak spirits and cowardice.

After all, it was Benjamin Franklin himself who argued, “They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither safety nor liberty." Well, with the passing of the USA Act in Congress, many people have just surrendered essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety. And though they think that legalizing roving wiretaps, black-bag jobs, military tribunals, the monitoring of conversations between suspects and their attorneys, and other authoritarian-tactics will protect their freedom and democracy, it will in fact destroy most remaining freedoms they have and tear apart the illusion of democracy to reveal the totalitarian superpower that the US has become.

On top of all that, there will be no safety from terrorism. There will only be more illusions and failed attempts to stop an invisible enemy that cannot possibly be fully deterred no matter any level of security. There will be more attacks, more scares, and more insane reactions from both the public and government. Many of us think that we will feel safer with these traitorous laws, yet fail to comprehend that we, with our support or indifference, are creating a society full of intrusion, persecution, suspicion, xenophobia, resentment, hatred, and, ultimately, our own downfall. For, a nation with such a disparity of wealth between classes, absent or ineffective social programs, and an oppressive, rampaging government cannot itself remain safe. No, a nation in that condition will soon bear the full brunt of war, death, and misery.

In these times of peril, I believe the best thing, instead of putting faith in the Federal Government to do right and save us all, is to study and uphold the founding principles of this nation—freedom and liberty. For me, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and Washington are superior in their wisdom to the occupiers of the White House and the traitors in the Congress. We should all abide by their laws in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, and treat the USA Act with the highest disdain an American citizen can muster. We have seen McCarthyism, we have seen Vietnam; must we see Nazi Germany or Fascist Spain? We know how corrupt and undemocratic our government can be, especially in times of war, and now, more than ever, is the time to fight for our rights given to us by our Founding Fathers. That would be real, legitimate patriotism. That would be Franklin’s patriotism.

Writer’s Note

August 1, 2010

Having just reread this piece some ten years after it was written, I find my nineteen-year old sentiments at that time bombastic and full of hyperbole. Yet, I still believe fundamentally in what I wrote: that a people cannot long endure as a free people if they are willing to sacrifice their liberty for the illusion of security. Sadly, there are still far too many self-professed “patriots” who are willing to do this.

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