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“National security and civil liberty should not be viewed as opposing objectives. Durable security emerges when citizens trust institutions and believe their rights are respected. Policies that preserve both safety and freedom strengthen the social contract.”

Last update Sept. 26, 2026. History

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“I have always believed that freedom of information is so vital that only the national security, not the desire of public officials or private citizens, should determine when it must be restricted.”

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) American politician, 36th president of the United States (in office from 1963 to 1969)

1960s, Statement on the Freedom of Information Act (1966)

“The people are as capable of achieving their industrial freedom as they were to secure their political liberty, and both are necessary to a free nation.”

Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) American labor and political leader

The Socialist Party and the Working Class (1904)

“Demanding domestic security in times of war invites carelessness in preserving civil liberties and the right of privacy. Frequently the people are only too anxious for their freedoms to be sacrificed on the altar of authoritarianism thought to be necessary to remain safe and secure. Nothing would please the terrorists more than if we willingly give up some of our cherished liberties while defending ourselves from their threat.”

Ron Paul (1935) American politician and physician

U.S. House of Representatives, September 12, 2001 http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2001/cr091201.htm <br class="br">2000s, 2001-2005

“Call it habit or conditioning or socialization: The citizens of the United States have essentially forfeited any capacity to ask first-order questions about the fundamentals of national security policy.”

Andrew Bacevich (1947) United States Army officer

Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War (2010)

“[T]ruth is the ground and condition of freedom. Unless it is true that human beings deserve to have fundamental liberties respected and protected, the tyrant does no wrong in violating them. Relativism, skepticism, and subjectivism about truth provide no secure basis for freedom. We should honor civil liberties because the norms enjoining us to respect and protect them are valid, sound, in a word, true.”

Robert P. George (1955) American legal scholar

Twitter post https://twitter.com/McCormickProf/status/947823304500490242 (1 January 2018) <br class="br">2018

“For us, democracy is a question of human dignity. This includes the political liberties, the right to freely express our views, the right to criticize and to influence opinion. It embraces the right to health and work, to education and social security.”

Olof Palme (1927–1986) Swedish 20th century prime minister

Source: Nancy I. Lieber, ‎Institute for Democratic Socialism (U.S.) (1982) Eurosocialism and America: political economy for the 1980s. p. 222.

“Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and a false government security blanket beckons.”

Ron Paul (1935) American politician and physician

Security and Liberty, April 23, 2007 http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst042307.htm <br class="br">2000s, 2006-2009

“Both security and development ultimately depend on respect for human rights and the rule of law.”

Kofi Annan (1938–2018) 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations

Truman Library address (2006)
Context: Both security and development ultimately depend on respect for human rights and the rule of law.
— Although increasingly interdependent, our world continues to be divided — not only by economic differences, but also by religion and culture. That is not in itself a problem. Throughout history, human life has been enriched by diversity, and different communities have learnt from each other. But, if our different communities are to live together in peace we must stress also what unites us: our common humanity, and our shared belief that human dignity and rights should be protected by law.

“Together, let us chart a way forward that secures the life of our nation while preserving the liberties that make our nation worth fighting for.”

Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America

2014, Review of Signals Intelligence Speech (June 2014)
Context: Those values make us who we are. And because of the strength of our own democracy, we should not shy away from high expectations. For more than two centuries, our Constitution has weathered every type of change because we have been willing to defend it, and because we have been willing to question the actions that have been taken in its defense. Today is no different. I believe we can meet high expectations. Together, let us chart a way forward that secures the life of our nation while preserving the liberties that make our nation worth fighting for.

“The Laws ought to be so framed, as to secure the Safety of every Citizen as much as possible.”

Catherine the Great (1729–1796) Empress of Russia

Proposals for a New Law Code (1768), Item 33

“National security and civil liberty should not be viewed as opposing objectives. Durable security emerges when citizens trust institutions and believe their rights are respected. Policies that preserve both safety and freedom strengthen the social contract.”

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