Let's get our priorities straight

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 12, 2001 | by John Elvin

Principles are a fine thing in stable times, but when some al-Qaeda lunatic is coming through the window in a 747 it's hardly a time for shouting about one's rights. There are some people shouting, though. As this magazine has noted, libertarians are having a fit over what they see as the erosion, or potential erosion, of individual rights due to the current crisis.

Steve Dasbach, national director of the Libertarian Party, is among those who are fussing and fuming. "The real triumph over terrorism will come only if we remain, in the face of this murderous onslaught, a nation of civil liberties, limited government and freedom," he said, reacting to a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll. It seems the poll shows that 58 percent of Americans think Arabs should go through special security checks before being allowed on airliners, even if they are U.S. citizens of Arab descent. And 49 percent of Americans want special identification for Arabs in this country, including those who are Americans.

"To support such a proposal is not only wrong, it is shameful," Dasbach said. Maybe so, but people have got their dander up. They've seen thousands of innocent lives lost, and some even seem vaguely aware that we are in a unique situation for this nation in that any one of us, or a loved one or a friend, could be next.

The ID proposal, though certainly not fair, actually is modest compared to measures taken in some countries that delight to take care of this kind of business. China, for one, simply has forbidden certain ethnic groups and persons of certain countries from flying on its aircraft.

"Americans need to be reminded that the enemy of terrorism isn't restrictions, repression and regulation," Dasbach said. "The ultimate enemy of terrorism is freedom." Well, he might want to check with some experts. They use another R-word, and it's not one related to fair play or ideal rights. When the situation is life or death and on your doorstep, the word the experts use to define the enemy of terrorism is ruthlessness, period.