by Daniel Gardner

The Boston Marathon bombing is raising more of the same questions regarding Americans' safety, security, civil liberties, and the role of government. How's the debate going? More importantly who's guiding the debate?

Suffice it to say, there are no longer any unbiased journalists or news outlets if there ever were such creatures. I attended a conference last week in which a noted "journalist" spoke about his lifetime experiences covering news of the world. During the Q&A time, I asked him why the mainstream media (MSM) was not covering the Gosnell murder trial in Philadelphia, and whether this lack of coverage clearly demonstrated the MSM's bias in favor of abortion. (Gosnell is an abortion doctor accused of killing one would-be-mother and seven babies who survived abortion attempts in his clinic.)

The veteran journalist defended the MSM saying although he had relatively little knowledge of the trial he was certain the MSM was covering it adequately…. Yes, he really said that!

Do you trust the MSM? A Rasmussen poll released this statement February 28: "Fifty-six percent (56%) of all voters regard the news reported by the media as at least somewhat trustworthy, but that includes just six percent who think it is Very Trustworthy. Forty-two percent (42%) don't trust the news media, with 12% who believe the news it reports is Not At All Trustworthy."

Do you trust the government? The latest Pew Research Center poll found the "federal government favorable rating dropped to 28 percent." And, a recent Gallup poll found, "The federal government is now trusted to do the right thing 'all' or 'most of the time' by just 18% of voters."

Who's guiding the debate? Certainly politicians and MSM are playing major roles in fashioning the debate. And, that's a problem. How can one know whom to believe? We're living in an age of information overload. The avalanche of social media complicates the debate as conspiracy theories proliferate like feral hogs in summer heat.

You've heard the story about elder pastors giving the new young preacher commentaries? A few weeks later the young preacher said the commentaries were deep and difficult to read, and sometimes he just had to go to the Bible to see what it really said!

The same is true in this debate that has been going on since our founding. Perhaps we should revisit our founders' thoughts.

Benjamin Franklin said, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Consider these guiding thoughts and words of Thomas Jefferson:

"When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty."

"A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference."

And, Jefferson's warning, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever."

With all the blathering going on in MSM and political circles, we need to remember America was founded to provide liberty from government tyranny. The ruling elite in government and the elite MSM hope to change that by hijacking our liberty in the name of safety and security.

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