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| Walking the ridgeline between absolute freedom and absolute security ... |
Post 9/11, we did what we had to do, we went all in
on fighting terrorism. We monitored phones and
emails, transactions and travel, … we went overboard, pulling the plug on
due process, privacy, protection from illegal search, incarceration
and torture, and we jumped into international military engagement. It was a time of extraordinary departure from
national principles. All understandable,
and we’ve tried after the fact to clean up the mess, but we note the rights and
rules that were set aside while we responded to the threat.
I remember the open discussion. We knew we were quickly pushing past boundaries,
and we weighed the options -- bend the rules and be safe or watch more people
die.
So they read my email, so what. So they tracked my phone calls, so
what. They know about my guns, my friends,
associates, travel, buying habits, work
history, and report cards from elementary school, so what. Okay, it did get a little out of hand and perhaps still hasn’t yet
been reasonably constrained. (grotesque understatement)
That’s us trying to balance personal liberty with the safety
of our people, our families.
Today, we’re dealing with the deaths at Stoneman Douglas
High School. The quick answer is
school security, gun control, and armed teachers, ... but yesterday at a Birmingham school that has metal detectors and armed security officers, an 'accidental' shooting killed one and wounded another. There will be more, but broad and practical discussion
is absolutely needed.
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The gun homicide rate in the U.S. is 25 times higher per capita than other high-income countries. For 2018, 68 days into the year, 1,800 folks have been killed by gun violence, 16 police officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty, and we’ve had
Why?
Specifically, ... why?
And how do we fix it?
Specifically, ... why?
And how do we fix it?
We’re walking that same ridgeline again, trying to balance life and liberty. There are solutions available, and we will figure out a way through. The changes are perhaps not likely to be simple or particularly agreeable to many.
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