Giving Up Liberty for a Little Safety – An Exclusive Cartoon News Report

Ben Franklin famously wrote, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” What would he say now?

Benjamin Franklin must be turning over in his grave…

Giving Up Liberty for a Little Safety

at what Americans are willing to put up with.

nsa

But it’s the bargain we seem to have struck…

13-3

to have the technology we’ve become addicted to.

13-4c

After all, the new apps are so cool…

13-5c

and the access to information is amazing.

13-6c

So we give up a little freedom…

13-2

for the illusion of security.

13-8c

But, hey, we can go back any time. Right?

13-9

According to Wikiquote:
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
— This was written by Franklin, sometime shortly before February 17, 1775 as part of his notes for a proposition at the Pennsylvania Assembly, as published in Memoirs of the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin (1818). A variant of this was published as:An earlier variant by Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack (1738): “Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
— This was used as a motto on the title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759); the book was published by Franklin; its author was Richard Jackson, but Franklin did claim responsibility for some small excerpts that were used in it.
Many paraphrased derivatives of this have often become attributed to Franklin:
They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.
He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.
People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.
If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both.
He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither.
Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither.
Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security.
Editorial Cartoons
Share
Share