tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4981739266034213538.post4145287896773192397..comments2023-07-25T05:54:36.811-07:00Comments on thaxis: The TerroristsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4981739266034213538.post-65162529318422902062008-11-29T10:02:00.000-08:002008-11-29T10:02:00.000-08:00I think Franklin said it best, with his now bumper...I think Franklin said it best, with his now bumper stickerish but perpetually relevant:<BR/>"<BR/>They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."<BR/><BR/>I don't have any specific answers to the terrorist threat. And I'm far to libertarian to feel even remotely comfortable with Big Brother government; on the other had, I'm not keen on IEDs filled with nails detonating when I take my kids to the mall. I'm not keen on the destabilization of Russia, including the possible availability of its cold war products such as backpack nukes (yes, they're real). 1 kt portable nukes, enough to incinerate most of a city block, killing thousands. And then there's the fall out after the explosion.<BR/><BR/>No one really like to talk about these threats to our well-being, as if it's fear mongering, or just somehow impolite (like passing gas during tea). But they're real threats. We can't have a strong financial system if we don't have a strong intelligence community and an ability to respond by force. <BR/><BR/>I think of security as infrastructure; it is vital to the well-being of a modern nation like transportation, power, and the like. We'll need to continue to invest in security just as we'll need new investment in alternative sources of energy. We can't afford not to.Erik J. Larsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00992991998553823280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4981739266034213538.post-77149045396924503642008-11-27T08:29:00.000-08:002008-11-27T08:29:00.000-08:00I didn't think we'd ever forgotten about the war o...I didn't think we'd ever forgotten about the war of terror. Personally, I think about it whenever I despair about the severe financial constraints we face in addressing the financial meltdown, whenever I contemplate crossing the border, whenever Verizon calls my house to ask me to switch to their service, when I go to the airport, when I read about Gitmo or torture and even when I go to the library. I'll think about it all the time if/when the U.S. loses its AAA credit rating. I hope it was all worth it. Oddly, I don't feel much safer, just poorer and a lot less free.mijopohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03113114446433726232noreply@blogger.com