Blood was shed to make possible the freedom envisioned in the U.S. Constitution. Free citizens are, by virtue of their freedom, vulnerable to all sorts of potential harm–harm that may result in the shedding of innocent blood. Freedom opens the door to certain tragedies. But those tragedies, horrible as they are, are more desirable than the safety promised in exchange for that freedom.
First, no man (or government) can keep such a promise, and second, safety without freedom can quickly become a prison. What makes me safe today, once I have exchanged some freedom, may make my son a slave tomorrow.
The line attributed to Patrick Henry, inverted in the title above, needs to be heard anew: “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
I don’t often do this, but I want to ask my readers: If this resonates with you, share it. You don’t have to share this exact post and link, but at least share the idea.
(As you probably know, this post is especially in response to recent news stories related to U.S. government surveillance).