Life and liberty

　　Just how good is Ameirican liberalism's inner ear?Dedending an open society in the wake of September's attacks demands that we strike the right balance between security and liberty,between the first of the Declaration of Independence's inalienable rights and the second;and that we remind our countrymen that in a battle of ideals with a closed society,liberaty and tolerance can be the most potent weapons in our arsenal.Even so,we'll also need some more conventional weapons along the way.

　　译文：美国自由派人士正确解读政治形势的能力究竟有多好呢?在9.11事件之后要捍卫一个开放型的社会，我们要在安全与自由，第一次与第二次独立宣言的不可剥夺的权利之间找一个微妙的平衡点;要求我们提醒我们的同胞在一个封闭的社会中进行一场思想斗争，自由和宽容是我们最重要的武器。即使这样，在这条路上我们仍然需要更多的常规武器。