My own worst enemy

The President's authorization of wiretaps, bypassing the courts, has been at the center of a political snowstorm for weeks now. It has been claimed by the administration that our safety hangs in the balance, that we are more insecure by even the knowledge of those secret wiretaps being authorized. This brings to mind a quote from one of the most brilliant minds in our great history;

"Those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither freedom NOR security."
-Benjamin Franklin

How fitting, considering our current predicament. What the president and his staff have been asking us is, "How many of your freedoms and civil rights are you willing to give up in the name of security?" And for a time after 9/11, the answer to that question was "A lot". After all, we had just suffered through the most horrific event of many of our lifetimes, and the first major attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Al Qaeda seemed like our biggest enemy, our most lethal threat, and we were willing to give whatever was needed to keep us safe.
But is Al Qaeda really the biggest threat to our nation's security? I don't think so.

Here's a Thought... The biggest threat to the freedom and security of each American is the American government. Think about it; the largest army in the world, which now, apparently, answers to only one man. The Bill of Rights was created for a reason, but I don't believe people actually think through the reasoning behind it; so let's do so now. What is its purpose? To give each American UNALIENABLE rights. Freedom of speach, right to bear arms, speedy trial and due process, and so on. But who do these rights protect us from? Most believe they protect us from each other, and while that is true, only a few of the amendments directly pertain to civilian vs civilian conflicts. In fact, each of the original 10 amendments pertain directly to government regulation and abuse of power AGAINST the people. It is the Bill of Rights that defines what the government CANNOT do to us, and each time we trade in one of those rights in the name of security from an obscure, foreign threat, we make ourselves MORE vulnerable to the greatest threat to our way of life and our freedom. If you need any idea of what THAT would be like, anyone from the south before the Civil War. I believe the word was "Slavery", and it is the inevitable result of losing our civil rights. They must be protected at all costs, for without them, we HAVE no security from that which has caused more harm to we Americans than all our foreign enemies combined.