Terror and Common Sense

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Justices Uphold a Ban on Aiding Terror Groups,” describes a new ruling by the Supreme Court banning “material support” to foreign terror organizations designated by the U.S. government. It notes that expert support, even for peaceful purposes, can result in the ability to transfer other resources for more violent actions.

This ruling just makes common sense. There have always been acknowledged limits on free speech rights, the yelling “fire” in a crowded theater the most dramatic example. However, when Congress has ruled that a group engages in terrorism, the bane of the modern age, it makes sense to impose limitations on their support. Groups such as Hamas, for example, operate a broad-based charity organization to gain support, and money, for their more nefarious goals.

Sometimes civil libertarians, theoreticians and philosophers would like to deal with the world the way it should be rather than the world that exists. It would be nice if we could draw all these legal distinctions, but people can die as a result. A common tactic of evil is to masquerade as good, and exposing these organizations for what they truly are, and then cutting them off, is more than common sense. It may be crucial for our survival.