Al Gore on Freedom and Security

Al Gore gave a great speech covering freedom and security in a democracy, specifically talking about many of the encroachments on our civil liberties that have taken place under the current administration:

[For] the first time in our history, American citizens have been seized by the executive branch of government and put in prison without being charged with a crime, without having the right to a trial, without being able to see a lawyer, and without even being able to contact their families.

Here’s an excellent observation:

Indeed, this Administration has turned the fundamental presumption of our democracy on its head. A government of and for the people is supposed to be generally open to public scrutiny by the people — while the private information of the people themselves should be routinely protected from government intrusion.

I’m not sure what Gore’s delivery was like, but the writing was very powerful and I hope that this message comes out loud and clear next election day.