In honor of Bush’s library dedication today, here are some more epigrams he inspired from my 2003 book, Terrorism & Tyranny:
Killing foreigners is no substitute for protecting Americans.
Habeas corpus is an insurance policy to prevent governments from going berserk.
Most of the homeland security successes in the war on terrorism have been farces or frauds.
Perpetual war inevitably begets perpetual repression. It is impossible to destroy all alleged enemies of freedom everywhere without also destroying freedom in the United States.
The Patriot Act treats every citizen like a suspected terrorist and every federal agent like a proven angel.
The more information government gathers on people, the more power it has over them. The more government surveillance, the more intimidated Americans become.
Nothing happened on 9/11 that made the federal government more trustworthy.
There is no technological magic bullet that will make the government as smart as it is powerful.
Citizens should distrust politicians who distrust freedom.
In the long run, people have more to fear from governments than from terrorists. Terrorists come and go, but power-hungry politicians will always be with us.
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For epigrams on freedom, government, & terrorism, click here.
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