Here's a Novel ThoughtThere are two common arguments that liberals make in the war on terror: First, that there is no
shared sacrifice; that is, that our armed forces sacrifice a great deal, so the rest of us should sacrifice something as well. They usually have higher taxes in mind.
The second argument usually takes the form of Ben Franklin's nostrum:
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Here's the thought: Perhaps we could share the sacrifice by giving up a little of our non-essential liberty? Do I really need to be free to make international phone calls without fear of government eavesdropping? No, so it's a non-essential liberty. In fact, it's a sacrifice I'm happy to make.
This post was inspired by
this one.