Cato's David Boaz Responds To Ban On Knives

[Matthew Gaylor]

At 10:23 AM -0400 9/26/01, David Boaz <dboaz at cato.org> wrote:
>Dear Mr. Gaylor:
>
>You know, I might even agree with you on this one.  When you've got 100
>employees writing hundreds of articles, it's hard to agree with every clause
>of every article.  And I might even be willing to engage you in dialogue
>about it if you hadn't encouraged every person with an email account to
>flood my inbox with messages -- as if the justice of a position was
>determined by the number of angry emails it generates.  That's not my idea
>of rational debate.
>
>Also, next time you attack us, could you spell our name right?
>
>David Boaz

Matthew Gaylor responds:

I would hope it's not a debatable point when your Director of Defense 
Policy, Ivan Eland thinks victim disarmament is a good idea when he 
states "The ban against sharp metal objects (i.e., knives) aboard 
aircraft is a good one." [See 
<http://www.cato.org/current/terrorism/pubs/eland-010920.html>].

I think libertarian economist Walter Williams has the correct, and 
libertarian attitude when he wrote: "The new air safety regulations 
are consistent with today's anti-crime strategies: If people commit 
crimes with guns, call for gun control; if people commit crimes with 
knives, call for knife control. Current law prohibits pilots from 
having guns to protect their crew and passengers.  That law should be 
changed. Instead of meekly going along with the FAA's new, costly, 
oppressive and stupid safety regulations, Americans should rebel 
against them. Are we so timid and feminized that we'll accept 
anything politicians do in the name of safety?"  See: 
<http://www.townhall.com/columnists/walterwilliams/ww20010926.shtml>.

So my question to Mr. Eland is why is he willing to accept FAA 
regulations over freedom? And isn't Ben Franklin still right when he 
wrote: "They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little 
temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."?

Regards,  Matt-

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