July 13, 2005

Time for Leftists to Grow Up!

I was thinking of last night's post (about the New York City Bill of Rights Defense Campaign's anti-Patriot Act rally), and I thought about the kind of people who always seem to make it to these events...even when they're held in the middle of a workday. My snarky comment comes to mind: I wish I hadn't been in a hurry to get back to work (having a job kind of puts a cramp on one's time for such things as protests), because I would have loved to see more. In a nutshell, these people are protesting the so-called loss of civil liberties due to the post-9/11 Patriot Act, yet they're the ones who constantly shout out for more government involvement in our lives...higher taxes to pay for more "services," as well as regulations on whether or not we can shove Big Macs in our mouths on a daily basis, along with the right to take over personal property if that personal property can garner more tax dollars under the ownership of a corporate entity.

In other words, leftists (they like to call themselves either "liberals" or "progressives") are just like spoiled rotten teenagers.

Most teenagers expect to be treated like adults--late curfews, dressing how they want, having the kind of friends they want--basically, being able to call all of the shots in their small universes.

But they still want Mom and Dad to pay for everything. They freak out when Mom and Dad say "no" to anything, and throw a veritable tantrum when Mom and Dad want something in return for the privileges they do extend.

Like leftists. Leftists want their "civil liberties," yet they expect government to pay through the nose for perks like "free health care" and "Social Security"--neither of which are rights, but priveleges (and privileges that have a high price tag but questionable benefits).

We live in a free society. But in today's dangerous times, freedom comes with a price. One of the prices we pay is to have our brave men (and women) in uniform go to dangerous places to fight bad people before the bad people come over here. Sometimes those soldiers die, and while we grieve for them, we know they voluntarily sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Our soldiers are proud of their service to their country, and we share their pride (or we should).

Another price of freedom is giving up certain freedoms in times of uncertainty, such as those items outlined in the Patriot Act. Truth be told, the provisions in the Patriot Act don't affect most of us in our daily lives. How many of us need to worry about our phone lines being tapped, or having our computer records turned over to the FBI? Usually these things only happen if someone has reason to suspect you of illegal activity. And if you aren't engaging in illegal activities, why would you worry? The Patriot Act is designed to make it easier for the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies to investigate those under suspicion of illegal activities. Period. They really don't care if you're checking the biography of the Marquis de Sade out of the library, or if you're playing Dungeons and Dragons online.

Those who complain loudest are usually those who have the least to offer. The left is complaining bitterly about a lot of things. I'm still waiting for their better ideas. Until then, I'm sticking with the right.

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