Are you Libertarian or Totalitarian?

What I see as the difference between a libertarian and a totalitarian is that a libertarian, while tough on crimes which violate life, liberty or property, believes that it is better for one criminal to go unpunished than to take the life, liberty or property of an innocent person; A totalitarian believes it is acceptable to violate the life, liberty and property of as many innocent people as necessary to catch one criminal.

Of course, that is an oversimplification, but it is one good example of the difference between those who favor liberty and those who favor authority.

The difference between a libertarian and a statist is that a libertarian believes the rights of the individual supercede any state, whereas a statist believes it is acceptable to violate life, liberty or property of any number of innocent people to protect the state.

Now, observe the general atmosphere around you and determine whether you are living in liberty or in a totalitarian state.

If you just read that and thought to yourself, "A totalitarian state sounds good to me," you need to read a few more history books.  Totalitarian states rarely turn out well for anyone involved, including leaders, followers, and especially not for its victims.

If you just read THAT and thought, "How could anyone EVER think a totalitarian state is good?", well, you need to read more history, too.  And talk to a few of your friends.  I bet you'd be surprised.

EDIT:  Added, thanks to my wonderful girl, Ms. Liberty:
"It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished. But if innocence itself is brought to the bar and condemned, perhaps to die, then the citizen will say, “whether I do good or whether I do evil is immaterial, for innocence itself is no protection,” and if such an idea as that were to take hold in the mind of the citizen that would be the end of security whatsoever." -John Adams