Only we can make ourselves safe: Personal protection, not government protection

How do we prevent another September 1 lth? How do we prevent terrorists from blowing up people and buildings? Hey - I have a great idea! Require everyone to carry an LD. card. The good guys' cards will say, "I'm a good guy." And the bad guys' cards will say, "I'm a bad guy." Some cards will even say "I'm a terrorist." Problem solved. Simple minds, simple solutions; but will it work?

National LD. is a no-brainer for the run-of-the mill terrorist. He or she will just have to devote a little extra time to obtaining one (legally or illegally). Terrorists have had plenty of practice in the many countries that already require National LD.s. Columbia, one of the most dangerous countries in the world, has required National LD. for over 50 years. So much for making a country safe! Every system of National LD. must depend on people to issue the cards. Fake birth certificates, fake drivers licenses, fake passports abound in many countries. How difficult would it really be for a would-be terrorist to bribe, blackmail, seduce, or threaten a low-level government clerk? And wouldn't there have to be hundreds, if not thousands, of clerks responsible for the issuance of National LD. cards?

Our politicians love sound bite solutions. They know their sitcom-numbed constituents will not look behind the facade and see that government is just providing an illusion of safety, while at the same time using terrorist attacks and rumors of terrorist attacks to foment more fear so that citizens will cede more power to the government. But the government cannot protect us. It cannot put a cop on every street corner. It cannot put a sky marshall on every flight.

Our government has a problem now, because the illusion of safety is becoming increasingly hard to maintain. In a world made dangerous by government domestic and foreign policies, Americans are left defenseless, like declawed cats, in a world where they require protection. Many Americans have already been disarmed by federal bureaucrats and New York-style politicians. All our government can do, in conjunction with the major media, is distract us with descriptions of the perpetrators, with handouts for the victims and their families, with feel-good ceremonies, and with grandstanding congressional investigations. After a major catastrophe, the government certainly doesn't want us to conclude that it d3d nothing to prevent an attack, nor that it won't be able to prevent another one.

If the government didn't protect us from terriorism who will? How can we be safe if the government fails us? The answer is: in the same way that the early pioneers, settlers, and wagon train participants did.They protected themselves; they defended themselves from predators, both human and natural. There was no one else to do it, if it was to be done. Stagecoach and train operators hired guards to protect their travelers. They knew they were responsible for the safety of their passengers. No, 100% protection was never achieved. However, robbers' unwillingness to confront people with guns (who knew how to use them) kept most travelers safe most of the time.

The airline industry has become such an entanglement of government bureaucracy and private industry that everyone involved (the airlines, the airports, and government agencies, such as the FAA) can place the blame elsewhere, absolving themselves of responsibility for protecting the American people from terrorism. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration will not let airline pilots carry weapons to defend themselves or their passengers. But if there were a skyjacking, and a plane was headed for Washington, don't you believe those same bureaucrats would order the plane shot down, with all onboard sacrificed? The government can protect itself with its Army, Navy, and Air Force, but its citizens are left defenseless. What a two-faced standard!

No, National I.D. will not make us safe. It never has, it never will, because only we can make ourselves safe by accepting that responsibility for ourselves and our families.

Copyright Voluntaryists 2nd Quarter 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved