Most of us have heard millions of words already about the heinous acts perpetrated in Boston on All-Patriots Day. The callousness of the bombings and subsequent sociopathic behavior on the part of two brothers is disturbing. As bad as the crimes were, what I find most disturbing is how these young men who seemed to be benefiting from the richness of living in America could become so radicalized without anyone seeming to notice. Of course, as more and more news comes out, there are indications that at least the older boy was under the scrutiny of the FBI. If so, why would events like the Boston Marathon not put these guys on the watch list?
The liberty we enjoy in this country will keep us vulnerable to such attacks. Because we are an open, free society, we expose ourselves to evil at an unprecedented level. We choose to weigh liberty against security, more now than ever before, and so far, we have tipped the scale to liberty—at least in the fields of entertainment and sports. Unfortunately, we do not seem to feel the same about our government becoming more involved in our lives every day.
Many commentators are suggesting that we might see yet another wave of Patriot Act-type legislation. As has been my mode lately, I would ask that we step back, take a big breath of fresh air, and think about the consequences of rash action. Our liberty is what distinguishes from all other nations in the world. We cannot allow events like these recent bombings to blind us to our responsibility to be vigilant at the same time we celebrate our courage in standing by the fundamentals of our Founding. Liberty is the most powerful aspect of American strength. Let’s hang on to it.
Photo credit: Vjeran Pavic via Flickr (CC-By-ND 2.0)