No protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic country.
Alexis de Tocqueville, statesman and historian (1805-1859)
It is, of course, because at some point we find that it is easier to catch [and/or kill] the "bad guys" if we don't also have to guarantee their freedoms. . . . Unfortunately, it is not so easy to give freedom to some - but not to all. How do you decide who gets freedom? And what if someone decides - for the sake of argument - wrongly? What if someone were to decide, for example, that I am one of the "bad guys" - wouldn't I feel differently about the freedoms I might be rather ambivalent about denying to someone else?
And yet - at the same time - there are things worth fighting for. . . . . and there are freedoms I may cede - for the moment - during a time of war. But I will not do it lightly.
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