DNI Gabbard: People in Positions of Great Power Say if Your Civil Liberties Are Violated a Little Bit, It’s Okay, Because It’s to Keep You Safe

GABBARD: “For too long, as you know, we’ve seen people in positions of great power tell us that, ‘Oh, well, you know, if we just violate your civil liberties and freedom a little bit, it’s okay because we’re trying to keep you safe.’ Unfortunately, we’ve seen this for decades. And the more our freedoms are eroded, the more the foundations of our democracy are eroded. So, you know, a lot of people talk about national security or security threats, but there’s two components of that that leaders have to — have to really uphold, which is, yes, there’s such a thing as a threat to physical security, but the threat to our freedom and our liberty must be balanced right alongside that threat to our physical security.”