New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman hit a new low with his piece today on the NSA spying scandal.
Basically, he says he's willing to give away some of his freedom today for fear that the government will take more of it away tomorrow if we're attacked again.
He says he wants "to prevent a day where, out of fear, we give government a license to look at anyone, any e-mail, any phone call, anywhere, anytime."
Problem is, we're just about there already.
Where's he been the last week?
Friedman does express a worry that I've been writing about for years now: that if there is another 9/11, "it could lead to the end of the open society as we know it."
See "Is Martial Law Coming?" and "The FBI Deputizes Business."
But the rational response to that worry is not to agree to start amputating our rights, but to demand public hearings on what our government has in store for us if we are attacked again, and to insist that we are able to remain free, as have citizens of other countries that have faced terrorist attacks.
And how much of our freedom is Friedman willing to sacrifice in his acquiescence, for fear that there is worse to come?
Then Friedman uses the second half of his column to lifting massive quotes from David Simon of "The Wire," who says, "We don't know of any actual abuse."
Of course, we don't: The NSA holds all the evidence!
Friedman writes that "what I cherish most about America is our open society."
It sure doesn't seem like it from this column.
If you liked this story by Matthew Rothschild, the editor of The Progressive magazine, check out his story Why Was This Spying Classified in the First Place?
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