Worse than Useless
Ben Shapiro is a deeply confused young man.
So most Americans were perfectly willing to go along with law enforcement officials who suggested that bags should be searched at subway stations in Washington, D.C. and New York. Yes, we’d prefer that police target those of Muslim religious persuasion for searches: After all, bombers tend not to be middle-aged white women from Kansas or elderly Asian men. Random searches are worse than useless, because they provide the illusion of security.
I was with him through most of that paragraph, but then….
But that doesn’t mean we should resist police enforcement or lobby against further enforcement.
We shouldn’t lobby against furthering policies that are…. worse than useless?
The rest of it isn’t funny, just sad.
If we live in a safe, secure country – if we rid ourselves of threats domestic and foreign – there is no need for harsh safety precautions. Habeas corpus was restored after the Civil War. Free speech protections were strengthened in the aftermath of World War I. Japanese internment ended after World War II. Temporary safety measures remain in force only as long as safety is threatened. If civil libertarians undermine such measures, they threaten our safety – and temporary measures become more and more permanent. The only way to fully restore civil liberties is to defeat our enemies.
The Civil War ended when the South surrendered. World War I ended when the Cental Powers surrendered. World War II ended when the Axis Powers surrendered. This “war” will only be over when the government says it is. Or when there’s no one in the whole world who wants to set off a bomb in the US.
No, wait - the war is over! All that’s left is a “struggle". Can I get on the subway in peace now?
This isn’t worth it. From now on, I’m only reading Ben Shapiro if he’s talking about sex.