Some days, I wish that I could draw.
Some political points are best illustrated in a straight forward deductive argument. Some are best illustrated in a story.
Yet, there are times when I read a story and the argument that comes into my mind is a picture – a political cartoon.
As shown on Crooks and Liars, Senator Pat Roberts (R - Kansas), the Republican head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was discussing Bush’s illegal wiretaps on “Late Edition” today. In the interview, he said, “You don't have civil liberties if you're dead."
So, what immediately came to my mind is this:
A picture (political cartoon) set in the American Revolutionary war. The British are lining up on one side with guns and cannons, while George Washington on his horse is lining up the American soldiers. Then, in the cartoon, one American soldier throws down his gun and bolts for the rear, crying, “You don’t have civil rights if you’re dead.”
If anybody wants to draw up this cartoon for me, I will try to figure out how to append it to this post. If I get more than one cartoon, I will use the ones that I like the best.
I could add more words to this blog entry, but I do not see a reason to.
That cartoon would say everything that I would want to say in response to Senator Roberts’ remarks.
An exersize in fearmongering from Senator Roberts. I guess it must work, because they keep doing it and we keep lapping it up.
ReplyDeleteIt is not just fearmongering. Roberts and those like him are promoting cowardice as a virtue.
ReplyDeleteI am certain that the soldiers in George Washington's army, when they faced the British, were afraid. And rightfully so. However, if they had taken the attitude that protecting their lives was more important than protecting liberty, we would have no liberty today.
I said this in response to someone just yesterday who had made the exact argument as Sen. Roberts:
ReplyDeletePatrick Henry once said, "give me liberty or give me death." That used to be patriotism. Now we have people saying, "take my liberty away, just keep me alive."
As you noted in a previous post, it was the case that in past generations American had put their lives at risk in order to fight for the freedoms we have today, now, in this generation we have Americans willing to voluntarily give up those freedoms without fighting.