The Voice of Treason

All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.

Writing by treason on Friday, 29 of September , 2006 at 8:27 pm

“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

– Franklin’s Contributions to the Conference on Friday, February 17, 1775

“Thirty million people now come to Britain every year. Visitors, tourists, workers, students. Our economy needs them. Two hundred twenty-seven million pass through our airports.

Yet we have no means of checking who is here lawfully.

The fundamental dilemma: how do we reconcile liberty with security in this new world?

I don’t want to live in a police state, or a Big Brother society or put any of our essential freedoms in jeopardy. But because our idea of liberty is not keeping pace with change in reality, those freedoms are in jeopardy.

When crimes go unpunished, that is a breach of the victim’s liberty and human rights.

When organized crime gangs are free to practice their evil, countless young people have their liberty and often their lives damaged.

When ASB goes unchecked, each and every member of the community in which it happens, has their human rights broken.

When we can’t deport foreign nationals even when inciting violence the country is at risk.

Immigration has benefited Britain.

But I know that if we don’t have rules that allow us some control over who comes in, goes out, who has a right to stay and who has not, then instead of a welcome, migrants find fear.

We can only protect liberty by making it relevant to the modern world.”

– Blair’s Contributions to the Annual Labour Party Conference on Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Yup, Tony’s third appearance on The V.O.T. this week, but I’ve been listening to his speeches and reading them, too, and he does have a knack for communicating big ideas simply, and in a way that sounds really good.

I actually thought I heard Bush quoting Blair today. That part about terrorism not being our fault. That we didn’t cause it. That it’s not the “consequence of foreign policy.” I was happy to hear Bush echo Blair, but I was even happier when he got warmed up and strongly stated his own views in his way. People are quick to criticize him, but once he gets fired up and passionate, Bush can communicate effectively. Between now and November, we need more of that.

The reason I’m including Blair’s statements here again is that yesterday I reached into my purse to find the senior citizen photo identification card the California DMV issued to my mother in 2003 and it wasn’t there.

Uh-oh. It’s her only form of identification outside of her flimsy Medicare card. Where the hell did it go? Did I lose it somewhere? Does someone else have it?

Proof we’ve become too dependent on cards. Driver’s license, credit, debit, insurance, discount, club membership. There’s a card for everything. And I have become overwhelmed by them. I’ve stopped shopping at stores that require them and I’m tired of carrying so many with me. If I’m in your system, can’t you just type in a code instead of asking me to show you my card?

My state just spent over a million of our tax dollars to give us a bilingual voter i.d. card that not only has inaccurate information on it, but it is still not required to display when voting. I just voted recently and the guy in line ahead of me asked the poll workers if they were going to ask to see his voter i.d. card. They said no. He asked, “Why not?” They said, “Because we don’t ask. It’s not required. But if you want to show it to us you can.”

He stared at them and finally said: “So let me get this straight. You’re telling me that I can vote but I don’t have to prove to you that I’m the person I said I am?”

“That’s right.”

No, no it’s not, actually. And here was someone besides me who was clearly upset about this. Dick Morris says voters are angry. He must have run into this guy.

When Tony Blair was delivering those remarks I included here, he was making an argument in favor of national i.d. cards. Even though I dislike the stacks of store “perks” cards, I don’t mind if I’m asked to show identification. I’m in favor of proving who I am when I vote and I’d like it to be required of others. But with all the forms of i.d. out there, how do you prevent fraud? The day after the i.d. card was invented, someone invented the fake i.d. Forged documents, false paperwork, made-up names and numbers. How will another i.d. card really solve our problems?

I carry a dozen forms of identification with me, but how does that prove who I am? I keep hearing how these cards will violate my freedom, but how will a card protect my freedom? Especially when I reach into my purse and it’s not there.

Okay, I admit it. I watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and I like the show very much. Sue me. The reason I mention this is because of the recent episode about freedom: “Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s Ass.”

The subject of banning smoking in the bar ignited an argument in favor of smoking because we’re Americans, damn it, and we are free to smoke if we want to. So the boys decided that the bar would be the one place where patrons could be free to do whatever they pleased. If they wanted to smoke, fine. No rules, no restrictions. They were free there.

What sounded like a great idea soon turned to chaos: heroin abuse, incest, violence, dismemberment…and worse. The “freedom zone” was suddenly becoming increasingly uncomfortable and dangerous.

Maybe there is something called “too much freedom.” Just when I start thinking I’m a Libertarian, something comes up that makes me want to pull on the reins a little. Whoa…slow down there, little buckaroo. Sit down now and behave yourself.

I mentioned the other day how the Franklin quote gets tossed around a lot, but his original intent has been corrupted to fit a current argument. The world has changed. Our ideas of security and liberty have changed. Philadelphia, since 1775, has changed.

I remember talking to someone who visited the city and claimed he was mugged in front of the Liberty Bell. And he’d thought that would be the one spot in the whole town where he’d be safe.

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