Charlton Heston
December 2001

As president of this Association, on behalf of our millions of members, let me extend my heartfelt sympathy and sincere condolences to the countless American families touched by this horrible, heinous act of terror. Mere words cannot express the horror, sorrow or anguish you've endured – at best, mere words offer little salve or solace.

But take faith and fortitude in this: Grief has shaken us – but never before has our nation been so united or more resolved. Our freedoms are endangered by a truly sinister, insidious threat – but never before have more able or ardent allies come to freedom's defense.

As President Bush so tersely stated, the atrocious terrorist attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania on September 11 constituted a direct attack on freedom. This is a war between fear and freedom. In defending her, we're united not just across America – but with much of the world. And freedom will prevail.

It wasn't just Americans who were killed in those attacks; among the missing are people from some 80 other countries, tourists as well as immigrants undoubtedly drawn here by the promise, genius, justice and freedom that, above all else, define America.

So I believe it's essential during this time of national crisis to remember who we are and what we believe. We are all Americans. And as Americans, we have a duty to protect the freedoms that make our union the example and the envy of the world.

In the weeks and months ahead, you can expect to hear a lot of proposals from lawmakers who seek to curtail our civil liberties in the name of feeling safe. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the events of September 11, many Americans are allowing terror to trump reason.

The day after those terrorist attacks, a Washington Post/ABC News poll asked Americans whether they'd be willing to surrender some of their civil rights in order for the government to crack down on terrorism. Two-thirds of them – 66 percent – said yes. And less than one out of four said no.

A similar New York Times/CBS News poll put that number at 74 percent. A Los Angeles Times poll found that 68 percent of Americans approve of allowing police to randomly stop people who may fit the "profile"of suspected terrorists. Other polls found similar sentiments.

Meanwhile, pundits and politicians have spoken as if liberty and security were mutually exclusive, contradictory concerns. Former Secretary of State James Baker said, "We need to re-examine our civil liberties.

"NBC's Tom Brokaw said, "We're going to have to reconsider a lot of our freedoms because of this attack."Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen said Americans will be forced to make "choices between security and civil liberties."

This is a road fraught with danger. I'm not talking about the inconvenience of longer lines, longer check-in delays and tighter security at American airports. What I'm talking about is the headlong rush to sacrifice liberty on the altar of safety.

As Benjamin Franklin said more than 200 years ago, "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." And all too often, they lose both liberty and safety.

So before we allow a media-terrorized public to sacrifice more of our freedom, we should ask whether doing so could prevent any acts of terrorism in the future. Because, if we're not careful, we could be stampeded into surrendering freedom for no good reason.

As an editorial in Canada's National Post pointed out, "The lesson of this country's brush with terrorism in the October Crisis of 1970 was that widespread restrictions on civil liberties did not help to advance police work."

Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., warned, "The notion that we can reorganize every aspect of civil society to protect against terrorism is fool's gold." Rep. Frank D. Lucas, R-Okla., said, "If we were going to be absolutely safe, we'd have to restrict people's freedoms to the point that it wouldn't be America anymore."

That, I believe, would hand the terrorists a prize victory – and would do more to desecrate the sacrifice of those Americans killed on September 11 than anything any terrorist could ever do to our nation.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Homeland/Civil Defense
War on Terrorism