Poll: Trading Freedom for Security

(AP) Four in five Americans would give up some freedoms to gain security and four in 10 worry terrorists will harm them or their family, a new Gallup poll shows.

About one-third of those polled favor making it easier for authorities to access private e-mail and telephone conversations. More than 70 percent are in favor of requiring U.S. citizens to carry identification cards with fingerprints, and 77 percent believe all Americans should have smallpox vaccinations.

“It was amazing the percentage of people who are willing to give up freedom to get back some sense of personal security,” said Elaine Christiansen, senior research director for The Gallup Organization. “These aren't people who were necessarily near the twin towers, near the Pentagon, near the Murrah building. These are average people.”

The telephone survey, conducted in March, included 934 people across the country. Researchers also polled about 500 people in each of three cities where terrorist attacks occurred — New York City, Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma City — to compare results with the general population survey.

The poll showed 8 percent of Americans are very worried and 31 percent are somewhat worried that they or someone in their family will become victims of a terrorist attack in the United States. In New York City, the level of worry is higher — 19 percent said they are very worried and 34 percent said they are somewhat worried.

Washington, D.C, and Oklahoma City reported levels of fear close to the national average. more

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Looks like the climate of fear approach to governing is working pretty well doesn't it?

None of the 41 reccomendations of the 9/11 Commission required us to give up any of our freedoms and most of them have yet to be adopted. Are Americans so blind and fearful that rather than protect the freedoms that so many have given their lives to protect that we would instead choose to dishonor their memory by surrendering those hard fought for freedoms for the illusion of security?

If so then maybe Benjamin Franklin was right and we deserve neither safety or liberty.