Fear or Freedom

njessen — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:25:58 +0000

Today, KSL featured a story in which a teenaged Jewish boy was praying using boxes that contained scrolls while on an airplane. This caused anxiety on the part of the captain and crew, and the plane was diverted to Philadelphia where the FBI was waiting with bomb sniffing dogs. Eventually, the boy and his sister were cleared and allowed to resume their travels.
This story reminds me of the aftermath of school shootings when children would get into trouble for bringing toy guns to school. When a major tragedy happens, sometimes, we allow fear of its repetition to take control over our daily activities. We seem to live in a climate of fear which is harmful to the freedom of our nation. The knowledge of a terrorist attack causes us to be more suspicious of people. On the other hand, there is the other extreme of being unaware of situations that can cause harm or threaten lives. At some point, we need to ask ourselves if our fear is inhibiting our freedom.
The constitution is an example of this. There is a risk for some of the rights it provides. The freedom of speech carries with it the fear that someone may say something that is offensive. Thus, people may work to inhibit that freedom. The right to bare arms carries with it the fear that people will kill each other with those weapons. The signers of the Declaration of Independence took the risk of being ostracized and possibly hanged for treason. In some of the cases listed above, these fears were well founded. Yet, we don’t advocate throwing out the constitution, and the signers of the Declaration of Independence are remembered as heroes.
It has been my experience that fear stifles freedom. Fear can immobilize people. It can cause them to not want to leave the house. It can prevent them from expressing an opinion. It can prevent people from making friends, or applying for a new job, or moving to a new place. In effect, it can keep someone from living a fulfilling life. They thus become its prisoners. They are not free to make choices that involve some risk because they might fail or be hurt by that choice even if the choice has the potential of making their circumstances better.
I am concerned that as we allow fear to become a part of our culture, our freedom will be limited. We may find that there is an abridgement of the basic freedoms of speech and of religion. We may find ourselves shackled with excessive laws and unnecessary regulations. Even as fear can immobilize an individual, it can inhibit the freedom of a nation.

a Failed Terrorist Attack and Its Implications for Our Democracy

njessen — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:18:58 +0000

Last Friday, Umar Farouk Abbulmutallab attempted to explode a plane when he lit a bag which contained a combination of potentially explosive materials. However, his concoction did not explode and he was subdued by other passengers. President Obama ordered a review of the nation’s watch-list system and of its air safety regulations because of its failure in this case.
As I reflect on this incident, I realize that there are implications for our democracy. Many times, when systems put in place by our government fail to work, it is up to the people to take the initiative and insure there own safety. In the year’s sense 911, I have heard other stories of incidents that could jeopardize the safety of airline passengers in which the passengers took control of the situation. On the surface, this might not seem relevant to democracy, but the idea is that everyone participates and has a role in securing the safety of the group. The people do not sit back and passively expect the government to take responsibility for their safety. They realize that they must take some of that responsibility themselves.
The second implication is on measures the government takes to prevent future attacks. Contemplating the government’s potential reaction to last Friday’s aborted attack causes me to reflect on my thoughts on what took place in the aftermath of 911. I was disturbed by the fact that torture of prisoners was a part of the discussion on preventive measures for terrorist attacks. I was also ambivalent about some of the other measures taken which included keeping detainees in prison without trial for an indefinite period of time, and the patriot act. To me, this is a confusing and ambiguous piece of legislation that attempts to describe what our government may or may not do to prevent more attacks in the future. My attempts to understand the provisions of this act only left me more confused and increasingly uncomfortable.
In reflecting on the problem of terrorism, it is my overall conclusion that the American people have an active role to play in the solution which consists of being vigilant and of holding the government accountable for its actions in dealing with national security with regard to terrorism. In an ideal world, we would be perfectly safe and enjoy our freedoms. However, in enacting stronger security measures, it is possible that our basic freedoms will be curtailed. However, if we wish to maintain these freedoms, it is possible that our safety will be compromised. Sometimes, we may have to sacrifice freedom for safety or vice versa. These are the issues we face when confronting terrorism.

PolitiVote » Terrorist Attack

Fear or Freedom

a Failed Terrorist Attack and Its Implications for Our Democracy