Truth is the first victim of war, but freedom is not far behind.  Truth is sacrificed in the interests of propaganda, and the freedom that is not taken away by the enemy is eroded by fear.  Of course, the concept of freedom is very subjective, and in some nations the coming of war simply shifts the focus of fear.  But a modern democracy generally provides a significant degree of personal freedom to its citizens, and the loss of this freedom is traumatic.

To some extent, hardship brought about by the ravages of war can inspire a sense of unity and comradeship, strengthening the resolve to stand firm.  But when personal freedom is eroded by one’s own elected representatives the result is dissent and confusion.

After September 11^th some American citizens voluntarily sacrificed aspects of their own freedom.  Significant numbers chose not to travel on airplanes, or join large public gatherings.  With the arrival of anthrax spores in the mail, no doubt many more restricted their behaviour in other ways.

Yet when personal liberties are restricted by governmental or commercial agencies there is civil unrest.  We balk at the inconvenience of tighter security measures, and we are outraged at the prospect of phone tapping.   And we so value freedom of speech that we cannot come to terms with the silencing of religious hatred.  Those who harbour terrorists do not concern themselves with such dilemmas.

Terrorism is directed at the very roots of democracy, and there are few calls for inaction.  But if we accept the withdrawal of the fundamentals of democracy are we not conceding victory to the terrorists without a fight?

Democracy recognises the rights of each individual to basic freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, and freedom to pursue happiness.  But those rights do not override the law of the land, and they should be forfeit if they impinge on the lives of others and prevent them from exercising their own rights.  Personal freedoms may have to be sacrificed in the common good.

If we are indeed at war there can be little argument should some of our rights be temporarily withdrawn.  Giving up personal liberties does not amount to the destruction of democracy; rather, it embodies the tradition of the common good that is fought for over and over again on more traditional battlefronts. 

We cannot ask our soldiers to die for our freedom and complain about the tapping of mobile phone calls.  We all have our battles to fight, but let us ensure that we are all fighting the real enemy.