--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are expected to believe that anyone…" description: "\"We are expected to believe that anyone who objects to the Department of Homeland Security or the USA Patriot Act is a terrorist, and that the only way ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/l-neil-smith-3636_america_we-are-expected-to-believe-that-anyone-w_565190.png" --- # We are expected to believe that anyone who objects to the… ![“We are expected to believe that anyone who objects to the Department of Homeland Security or the USA Patriot Act is a terrorist, and that the only way to preserve our freedom is to hand it over to the government for safekeeping.” quote by L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/l-neil-smith-3636_america_we-are-expected-to-believe-that-anyone-w_565190.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/l-neil-smith-3636_america_we-are-expected-to-believe-that-anyone-w_565190.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/l-neil-smith-3636_america_we-are-expected-to-believe-that-anyone-w_565190.png) > “We are expected to believe that anyone who objects to the Department of Homeland Security or the USA Patriot Act is a terrorist, and that the only way to preserve our freedom is to hand it over to the government for safekeeping.” [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that labeling dissenters as terrorists is a false narrative that undermines freedom, urging critical scrutiny of security rhetoric. **In simple terms:** Dissent isn’t terrorism; questioning protects liberty. Key Takeaway Question authority and protect civil liberties. Themes freedom security political rhetoric civil rights terrorism Mood critical skeptical Type political analytical When to use this quote - political activism - public debate - policy analysis Key Concepts liberalism authoritarianism propaganda Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance security and liberty? - What evidence supports the claim? A Different Perspective The argument may overlook legitimate security concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Homeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeland/) [Homeland security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeland-security/) [Patriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriot/) [Patriot act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriot-act/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Usa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usa/) ## Related quotes > [Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/secondly-there-are-such-things-as-roving-wiretaps-now-by-the-way-any/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Treason is when legislators vote against homeland security measures because it goes against the wishes of their political or financial backers. Treason is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/treason-is-when-legislators-vote-against-homeland-security-measures/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [The Department of Defense is a longtime partner of the Department of Homeland Security, and I thank them for their support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstjen-nielsen/the-department-of-defense-is-a-longtime-partner-of-the-department-of/) [Kirstjen Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstjen-nielsen/) > [As soon as I enter office I am going to ask Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to begin a comprehensive review of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-soon-as-i-enter-office-i-am-going-to-ask-homeland-security-and-the/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Our volunteer fire departments know their needs better than Washington, D.C. They need more flexibility on spending grant money from FEMA and Homeland Security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ross/our-volunteer-fire-departments-know-their-needs-better-than/) [Mike Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ross/) > [But I made him the Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security because that added an element of political espionage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-craven/but-i-made-him-the-deputy-secretary-for-homeland-security-because/) [Wes Craven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-craven/) > [You can say I'm a hater. But I would argue I'm a lover. I'm a lover of traditional families and of the right of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/you-can-say-i-m-a-hater-but-i-would-argue-i-m-a-lover-i-m-a-lover-of/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [The 9/11 Commission recently released their report, citing important changes which need to be made to improve our nation's homeland security. I voiced my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-boswell/the-9-11-commission-recently-released-their-report-citing-important/) [Leonard Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-boswell/) > [Public service announcement: In case of a terrorist attack, bottled water and duct tape are not going to do a damn thing. So do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/public-service-announcement-in-case-of-a-terrorist-attack-bottled/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge made that critical leap from 'be afraid' to 'be very afraid,' raising the terrorist threat level to orange for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/homeland-security-chief-tom-ridge-made-that-critical-leap-from-be/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [ I think what you're going to get from President-elect \[ Donald\] Trump is all of his folks together - Rex Tillerson, James Mattis, John… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/i-think-what-you-re-going-to-get-from-president-elect-donald-trump-is/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [I've been involved with law enforcement for some time. My father was in law enforcement. I went through the training for Homeland Security. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-ferrigno/i-ve-been-involved-with-law-enforcement-for-some-time-my-father-was/) [Lou Ferrigno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-ferrigno/) > [There are over 100 entities in the federal government that have something to do with homeland security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-card/there-are-over-100-entities-in-the-federal-government-that-have/) [Andrew Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-card/) > [Well, Rush, look what happened? 9/11 happened, and we didn't know it in advance. That's right, we got hit, we got hit big time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/well-rush-look-what-happened-9-11-happened-and-we-didn-t-know-it-in/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [We all must recognize that homeland security funds should be allocated by threat and no other reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/we-all-must-recognize-that-homeland-security-funds-should-be/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) ## More by L. Neil Smith > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I suggest due process, speedy trials, and public hangings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-suggest-due-process-speedy-trials-and-public-hangings/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Guns cause crime like flies cause garbage!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/guns-cause-crime-like-flies-cause-garbage/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I have a recurring daymare that when the Glorious People's SWAT Teams smash their way in, most of us - by which I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-a-recurring-daymare-that-when-the-glorious-people-s-swat-teams/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I'll remind you all, however, that for government, existence is a privilege, not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-ll-remind-you-all-however-that-for-government-existence-is-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I propose a Constitutional Amendment providing that, if any public official, elected or appointed, at any level of government, is caught lying to any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-propose-a-constitutional-amendment-providing-that-if-any-public/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Victim disarmament types are sick, sick people, who'd rather see a woman raped in an alley and strangled with her own pantyhose than see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/victim-disarmament-types-are-sick-sick-people-who-d-rather-see-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Money, first and foremost, is a medium of communication, conveying the information we call 'price'. Government control of the money supply is censorship, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/money-first-and-foremost-is-a-medium-of-communication-conveying-the/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/a-libertarian-is-a-person-who-believes-that-no-one-has-the-right/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“...occasionally I like carrying raw steel to remind myself of an important lesson. The blade's an extension of the hand, the agent--no pun intended--of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/occasionally-i-like-carrying-raw-steel-to-remind-myself-of-an/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Thanks to guys like Boss Tweed, famous for saying, 'I don't give a damn who does the voting, as long as I do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/thanks-to-guys-like-boss-tweed-famous-for-saying-i-don-t-give-a-damn/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Taxes are a barbaric remnant of ancient times in which early farmers, tied to the land, no longer able to roam freely, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/taxes-are-a-barbaric-remnant-of-ancient-times-in-which-early-farmers/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [If conservatives really believed in individual liberty, as they endlessly claim and if they used both halves of their brains then they'd be libertarians.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/if-conservatives-really-believed-in-individual-liberty-as-they/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [You cannot force me to agree with you. You can force me to act as though I agree with you but then you'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/you-cannot-force-me-to-agree-with-you-you-can-force-me-to-act-as/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) [Explore all 125 L. Neil Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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