Letter: Settle for no less than security and freedom

Sunday, Sept. 3, 2006 | 7:17 a.m.

Cloaked in the American flag, dripping with red, white and blue colors, Paul K. McMasters' Aug. 30 commentary in the Las Vegas Sun, "Security or freedom a false choice," is so powerful it needs to be read by all politicians - justices from the Supreme Court down to the lowest justice of the peace, and all other citizens in our beloved country who are interested in preserving our way of life.

Especially noteworthy and deserving of serious contemplation of what is happening to our country are McMasters' eloquent and meaningful words, "If security trumps freedom, the question arises about what it is we are protecting. Freedom of speech, even dissent, is not just at the core of our freedom, it is an essential component of security. Ordinary citizens as well as their leaders should never forget that all Americans should feel secure in their right to speak freely and engage in other First Amendment-protected activities without self-censoring their opinions, curtailing their associations or looking over their shoulders."

If we can send men to the moon, surely we can, as he implied, "resolve the conflict between potential harm to our security and the potential damage to our rights." By all means!

Leopold A. Potsiadlo, Las Vegas