Editorial: Sustain the Fight for Freedom

"These are the times that try men’s souls.” So wrote Thomas Paine at a point of crisis in American history when the country, not yet fully formed, was threatened by tyrannical forces housed among us and directed from bases across the sea. Paine published his famous words in the December following the 13 colonies’ Declaration of Independence.

Such times are here again, reflected in the daily warnings about the intentions of terrorists and thrust upon a now-mature republic. The enemy we face today is perhaps even more sinister than King George’s redcoats, who were not hidden from view and who did not seek mass destruction of civilian populations.

Once again the American soul is being tried, and once again our enemies appear to have underestimated our resilience, resolve and bravery. Once again Americans of every creed are rallying, as Minutemen once did at Concord and Lexington, in defense of our nation. But we are facing a new depth of ruthlessness. An enemy who would vaporize himself to destroy us is a darkly serious threat.

This enemy will attempt to hide among us. That is why every citizen must be a soldier of vigilance as well as a patriot in mind and deed. That is why America’s Trucking Army, for example, is invaluable to homeland defense. The goal is to train more than 3 million truck drivers, who saturate the American landscape in their daily work, to recognize unusual activities or people who are suspiciously out of place. The training, we hope, will not only sharpen detection skills but also help avoid turning vigilance into vigilantism. We are pleased to report in this issue of Transport Topics that American Trucking Associations and the Teamsters union are willing to discuss a unified effort to bring cohesiveness to that citizens’ army (See story, p. 2).

Tom Paine’s warning in 1776 that the coming battle would be a difficult, protracted struggle — he expected the “summer soldier and sunshine patriot” to shrink from the cold reality — is ever apt. Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered, he wrote. The great wars of the 20th century are testament to the endurance of that truth.

The battle to protect freedom, as history teaches us, is every generation’s struggle. On this July 4, we are reminded of the need to renew our pledge to sustain the fight.

This editorial appeared in the July 1 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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