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Beware of a gradual erosion of civil liberties

   I have been writing letters to the editor for quite some time regarding the erosion of our civil liberties. I came across a quote by Justice William O. Douglas, which states the problem more succinctly and eloquently than I ever could. I beg everyone who reads this to think and observe and act.
   “As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such a twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air — however slight — lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”
   TERRY RAFFERTY
   Schenectady  

  
  
  

Rather poetic....but TRUE!!!

I concur.

I too agree.

The article is correct. But unfortuantly, I'm afraid that people have become to complacent.

AIN'T THAT A FACT...... >

I challenge all of you to give me an example of civil liberties you have lost in your lifetimes??

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Civil liberties
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Civil liberties is the name given to freedoms that completely protect the individual from government. Civil liberties set limits for government so that it can not abuse its power and interfere with the lives of its citizens.
Common civil liberties include freedom of association, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, and additionally, the right to due process, to fair trial, to bear arms, and to privacy.

I can give examples of the expansion of civil liberties over the past 50 years to: african americans, women, homosexuals, transgender, even animals.

Those liberals who claim conservatives erode our civil liberties tend to be the worst offenders.  ex:  gun control, public display of the nativity, "hate" speech.  Just to name a few.

An amendment could be--the freedom of 'health care'(tongue in cheek of course, it would become -the right to health care)

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Main Entry: free·dom  
Pronunciation: \ˈfrē-dəm\
Function: noun
Date: before 12th century
1: the quality or state of being free: as a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence c: the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous d: ease, facility e: the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken f: improper familiarity g: boldness of conception or execution h: unrestricted use
2 a: a political right b: franchise, privilege
synonyms freedom, liberty, license mean the power or condition of acting without compulsion. freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated . liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion . license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom .

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Main Entry: 2right
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English riht, from riht, adjective
Date: before 12th century
1: qualities (as adherence to duty or obedience to lawful authority) that together constitute the ideal of moral propriety or merit moral approval
2: something to which one has a just claim: as a: the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled b (1): the interest that one has in a piece of property —often used in plural (2)plural : the property interest possessed under law or custom and agreement in an intangible thing especially of a literary and artistic nature
3: something that one may properly claim as due
4: the cause of truth or justice
5 a: right hand 1a; also : a blow struck with this hand b: the location or direction of the right side c: the part on the right side d: right field e: a turn to the right
6 a: the true account or correct interpretation b: the quality or state of being factually correct
7often capitalized a: the part of a legislative chamber located to the right of the presiding officer b: the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the right as a result of holding more conservative political views than other members
8 aoften capitalized : individuals professing support of the established order and favoring traditional attitudes and practices and conservative governmental policies boften capitalized : a conservative position
9 a: a privilege given stockholders to subscribe pro rata to a new issue of securities generally below market price b: the negotiable certificate evidencing such privilege —usually used in plural
— right·most  \-ˌmōst\ adjective
— by rights also by all rights : with reason or justice : properly
— in one's own right : by virtue of one's own qualifications or properties
— of right
1: as an absolute right
2: legally or morally exactable
— to rights : into proper order

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license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom degenerate into license>.

Now isn't that funny........

Cicero some points you make are valid. But I do believe that there is too much government control in our private lives. So here is one just for you CICERO!

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"A nation can survive its' fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor--He speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and their garment, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation--he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city--he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared.

"Cicero, 42 B.C., Roman Statesman, orator, and author.

I agree with Cicero, I can't name a single liberty I've lost.  I say what I want, when I want to whom ever I want.  Sometimes I may not have the guts to say something I want, but that doesn't mean I can't. I bear arms, work and play however I want.  The issue is indeed the increase of civil liberties for special segments of our population.  As for government being too involved in our lives, I also agree, but we get what we ask for.  Every single day of the week I have people call me and plead for local government to get involved in issues that we don't belong in.  It could be as simple as a neighbor dispute. but it is asking government to get involved all the same.  Now it has taken on a life of its own and we let it happen.  I love that quote JoAnn.