webb1973 wrote: >Mr. Kohlenberg, you seem to have a strong resentment of government's role in >your life. That's a joke, dude. > Toby is not alone. > Just kidding. But seriously, do you really >believe asking questions is a precursor to dark happenings down the road? > Yes, absolutely. > Do >you really believe that there's some hidden agenda or plot to enslave >Americans? > Yes, absolutely. The Government constantly seeks to expand its powers. The purpose of the Constitution, and especially the Bill of Rights, is to limit this expansion. It is traditional for the Government to use the threat of war as an excuse to expand its powers, because the foreign threat makes the public more pliable. > That our government is becoming an evil empire? > Yes, absolutely. Especially the current administration. > Come on, dude! >Are we wrong to want to be safe from terrorists? > No, but the "safety" measures the Government is proposong have very weak security value, and very strong intrusions into civil liberties. IMHO, the current administration is a far greater threat than terrorism is. > And what's this "lashing >out" business? We have always had law enforcement that we can count on to >have good judgment. > You have GOT to be kidding. Police abuse of powers have been occurring for decades (at least) in America. Such abuse tends to occur much more when public oversight is limited. Secret military tribunals and secret detention of people without access to council are just invitations to abuse. Which is why such actions are defined by the Constitution AS abuse. The Government is way, WAY over the line of what is called for in the present situation. > They do their jobs every day, without anyone noticing, >and they make good decisions. We only hear about the bad instances, and not >enough about the good. > I believe that most law officers are good and well-intentioned people. But I am not willing to write the police department a blank check of "do whatever you want, never mind that pesky due process stuff." I have not heard any of the fine officers on this mailing list advocate such action, but I HAVE heard John Ashcroft and assorted Administration and Congressional persons advocate (effectively) the abandonment of due process. >We also have constitutional >safeguards in place that won't allow the kind of dark future you seem to >fear. > Are you paying any attention at all? Those Constitutional safeguards have ALREADY been violated. >These thing can't be unilaterally changed in our Constitution. > But they can and have been unilaterally ignored. Crispin -- Crispin Cowan, Ph.D. Chief Scientist, WireX Communications, Inc. http://wirex.com Security Hardened Linux Distribution: http://immunix.org Available for purchase: http://wirex.com/Products/Immunix/purchase.html
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