Am I the only person who cringes when I hear those words? More and more frequently our civil liberties are being taken away and that is the line of reasoning offered.
First we had the Paycheck (un)Fairness Act, forcing employers to pay equal wages regardless of the individual situation. We've got the Food Safety Modernization Act, placing ever increasing regulations on small, local farmers and ensuring the Big Agra reaps the benefits. Let's not forget about the current TSA situation which requires citizens to give up their 4th Amendment rights (not to mention their dignity) just in order to travel. Oh, and in San Francisco, as of December 1st Happy Meals must be met with nutritional requirements before a toy can be included with the meal.
Luckily, the Paycheck (un)Fairness Act failed in the Senate. We might not be so lucky with Food Safety Modernization Act as that is scheduled to go to vote on November 29th. If you support local farmers and their right to manage their own seeds, sell raw milk, make artisan cheeses and so forth and so on, please contact your Senator's office and urge them to vote "NO" on S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act (aka The Monsanto Bill).
Speaking of contacting your elected officials...we have to reclaim our dignity and respect while traveling. This is not Nazi Germany or an Israeli checkpoint, this is America. Allowing a government agency to virtually undress us or molest us in order to travel is absurd. And just think about how fast we've lost rights...TSA didn't even exist prior to 2001! Contact your Congressman and urge him or her to support Rep. Ron Paul's American Traveler Dignity Act 2010 (HR 6416).
These are not partisan issues, though I'm sure they will be turned into such. These are issues that are impediments to the freedom this nation was formed upon. Please get on the phone or send an email to your elected officials. Tell them we won't stand for anymore liberties being stripped away, especially in the name of safety. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Those words ring loudly today.
