[Well, yes, freedom can beget evil, but evil seems to be found even more in restrictive societies that sharply curtail liberty. This seems to be a sad case of a columnist looking for a good line and a convenient defection than any thoughtful "reevaluation." --Declan] --- http://salon.com/news/col/vincent/2001/11/02/libertarians/index_np.html Freedom begets evil, and other realizations For civil libertarians -- like myself -- war is a time for some harsh reevaluation. By Norah Vincent Nov. 2, 2001 | Civil libertarians can be so smug. I should know. I am one. Or, I have professed to be one until now. Proudly, as it happens. Haughtily even. "I'm with the good guys," I told myself. "Not the theocrats. Not the anarchists. Just the right on, straight shooting, Bill of Rights toting crowd." Not anymore. Now it seems I'm with the sticklers, the devils who revel in the details, the litigious brake-slammers every American is learning to hate. That is to say, I'm still a civil libertarian, but I'm not always so proud of it anymore. And, if we're honest with ourselves, none of us should be. The reason is very simple. Freedom begets evil. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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