American freedoms are being whittled away

By Pastor Darran Whiting

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I watched with true American honor and pride, the Medal of Honor ceremony for Hiawatha native Army Sgt. Salvatore Giunta on Tuesday. Undeniable heroism and valor were embodied by Giunta as he fiercely defended our freedom oversees in Afghanistan.

In the same newscast, I sat stunned as I watched the reports of yet more American freedoms being eroded by the newest government attacks on our God-given freedoms. I am referring to employing full-body scans as well as full-body pat-downs on pilots, workers and customers wishing to fly on an airplane.

This is just the latest in a long string of recent activities that has brought my attention to just how big “Big Brother” really has become. From speed cameras in Iowa to Happy Meal legislation in California, it appears that the tenuous balance between security and freedom, between safety and personal liberty, is tipping dangerously toward more government interference and tyranny and away from personal responsibility and liberty.

It seems that since Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has lost its insatiable appetite for freedom and has turned instead to the hog slop of government interference. Our forefathers would never have put up with such flimsy excuses to flitter our freedoms away.

It is high time for U.S. citizens to stop and ask themselves some very basic questions while we still have the opportunity to do so. Is it really necessary for the government to rescue our children from Happy Meal toys? Is the government really better equipped to deal with issues relating to our children then their God-given parents?

Are we really safer after receiving an intrusive pat-down or are we lulling ourselves to sleep in the warm glow of false security? Will an invasive and inappropriate full-body search really stop the evil plot of a wicked and determined terrorist? Is our freedom we are giving up really a fair price to pay for a false sense of security, and if so when is enough, enough?

The challenge that these issues presents is one of a false premise. Many well-meaning, yet misguided, people falsely believe that government intervention is the answer to all of our problems. Government has never solved a problem that individual citizens could not have solved themselves in a far better way and for a lot less money and red tape. It isn't the government's fault that it is ill equipped to deal with the hard issues facing our citizens today. The government was instituted to protect us from our enemies, not to protect us from ourselves. We do not need protection from ourselves.

We need a government to step out of the way and let freedom flourish in the face of chicken nuggets and terrorists. When our children become too obese to fit in the car seat, we will be compelled to no longer take them to McDonalds to get a Happy Meal. Conversely, when the terrorists realize that we Americans love our freedoms more than we fear them, they will eventually realize that they are fighting a losing battle and go back where they came from.

While we give up our freedoms in the name of false security in the effort to prevent terrorism and other societal ills, we subject ourselves to the worst tyranny of all: an out-of-control, overreaching government.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “Those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither.” I wonder how long we as Americans will enjoy either.

Darran J. Whiting has been the senior pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Marion for 14 years. Comments: dwhiting@mercycare.org