war on abstract nouns

Those who are willing to sacrifice their basic liberties ...

Funny, for all surveillance, Osama bin Laden is still free -- and we're not. Guess who's winning the "war on terror?"

The title of this post also refers to a quote, of course. It is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Currently I can't find a definitive wording, but the gist of it is clear, I think. Here are two versions. I like the second best:

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

"Those who are willing to sacrifice their basic liberties to assure their security deserve neither."

— Cory Doctorow on BoingBoing, in reference to this BBC article.

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