In the wake of the tragedy in Boston on April 15, 2013, many
so-called experts have and will continue to come forth and make guesses as to
who or whom is behind the bombings.
However, the true identity of the perpetrator(s) is relatively
unimportant. What is important is what
we are willing to give up in exchange.
It is human nature to want to find the guilty, as we all have an innate desire to see justice done. There are different ways to define what justice means, but in any case the identification of the wicked is a prerequisite.
This desire for justice is powerful, and care must be taken not to allow this desire to blind us. Equally powerful is fear. We must not continue to let fear and anger blind us. If we do, then the terrorists (regardless of their identity) win.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the burning desire for justice launched us into the so-called war on terror. A number of things came from this, all of which reduce our freedom. The Patriot Act became law on October 26, 2001. The TSA was created in November, 2001. Later, the NDAA 2012 also arose as part of this war on terror. I leave it to the reader to research just how much freedom has been given up in the name of justice, all as a result of a singular tragedy.
Mass shootings have been occupying a lot of airtime in recent months. The events in Aurora, CO and Newtown, CT, among others have gotten massive coverage. And they truly are tragedies. However, just as post-9/11, fear and a desire for justice have been leveraged in an attempt to convince Americans to give up more freedom.
And now today, the day after the bombings in Boston, all Americans again face a dilemma. Of course we want to know who is behind it. Of course we want to bring them to justice. Of course we would like to prevent these kind of things from happening.
But at what cost?
It is human nature to want to find the guilty, as we all have an innate desire to see justice done. There are different ways to define what justice means, but in any case the identification of the wicked is a prerequisite.
This desire for justice is powerful, and care must be taken not to allow this desire to blind us. Equally powerful is fear. We must not continue to let fear and anger blind us. If we do, then the terrorists (regardless of their identity) win.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the burning desire for justice launched us into the so-called war on terror. A number of things came from this, all of which reduce our freedom. The Patriot Act became law on October 26, 2001. The TSA was created in November, 2001. Later, the NDAA 2012 also arose as part of this war on terror. I leave it to the reader to research just how much freedom has been given up in the name of justice, all as a result of a singular tragedy.
Mass shootings have been occupying a lot of airtime in recent months. The events in Aurora, CO and Newtown, CT, among others have gotten massive coverage. And they truly are tragedies. However, just as post-9/11, fear and a desire for justice have been leveraged in an attempt to convince Americans to give up more freedom.
And now today, the day after the bombings in Boston, all Americans again face a dilemma. Of course we want to know who is behind it. Of course we want to bring them to justice. Of course we would like to prevent these kind of things from happening.
But at what cost?
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