Chase McElvey
3-15-2013
Barry Goldwater Quote “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” In 1964 at the Republican Convention center, Barry Goldwater gave this remark while accepting his party’s nomination. His words were used to remark on the issue of the growing specter of communism, but they can also be related to present day. This remark can be related to our country wanting better ways of tracking terrorists and the ever famous quote, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Extremism is going to the extreme about something, such as terrorism. Take a moment to think back to that day horrifying day, September 11, 2001. Liberty is a freedom, and vice is something that is detrimental. So, “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice”, means that going to the extreme in the defense of liberty is not a bad thing, nor anything to be ashamed of. Moderation is limits, justice means fighting for rights, and virtue is something good. “Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue”, could mean putting limits on fighting for what is right in your country is no good. So together the quote could actually mean that when going to the extreme to fight for liberty in your country is okay, but putting limits on fighting for that justice will not do. As previously mentioned, Goldwater believed that going to the extreme for the liberty and protection of your country is the best thing to do. He would have most likely agreed on the issue of government hacking. The government would like the ability to hack into people Facebook accounts to track suspected drug dealers, sex traffickers, and terrorists. They would like this ability because they believe that terrorists are catching on to the idea that the government can already read anything you do through your phone. So, they would like to “go dark” to protect the county. Goldwater would have most likely thought that this idea of hacking would be very beneficial to the country’s protection. It fits very well with the idea of “extremism.” I believe Barry Goldwater was a person that would be very delighted to
