[Norm works on privacy topics for Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a libertarian- leaning kind of fellow. --DBM] ******* From: "Singleton, Norman" <Norman.Singletonat_private> Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 13:26:44 -0400 Friends, even some alleged "conservatives" are eagerly anticipating sacrificing liberty for the illusion of security [...] http://www.conservativereform.org/bullmoose/ Wednesday, September 19, 2001 (3:13 PM ET) Bedfellows. The Moose is heartened by the national show of unity against terrorism. But, beware of strange bedfellows. The alliance of right and left wing flotsam and jetsam is nothing new on the foreign policy front. We witnessed it during the Kosovo conflict when noted hawks such as Lott and DeLay joined the "peace now" crowd. With a direct attack on the American homeland, dissident voices are muted but have not entirely disappeared. The most bizarre example comes from Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson who suggested that the attack was God's wrath against a nation that has sinned. This was a new theocratic right variant on the "Blame American First" theme that used to be the purview of the left. As was eloquently stated during the 2000 Republican primaries, Robertson and Falwell are truly the "agents of intolerance." Meanwhile, a few timid left voices are suggesting that we must look for "root causes" for the terrorist behavior. However, the American people are not in a receptive audience for the root cause crowd. A more pernicious development is an emerging right-left alliance against the ability of law enforcement to conduct domestic surveillance of terrorists. According to the Washington Post, groups ranging from the ACLU to the Free Congress Foundation and the Gun Owners of America are uniting to "declare their concerns that increased surveillance initiatives would invade privacy." One conservative group called the Coalition for Constitutional Liberties declared that, "our most basic and fundamental freedoms are under attack unlike any time since the Revolutionary Era." The Moose would find this all so amusing if it weren't so sad. Some on the right have long had the constitutional outlook of the ACLU on issues ranging from soft money to the drug war. Yes, there is a tremendous threat to our security, but it isn't coming from the FBI! The unholy alliance of the right and the left is not focused on stopping terrorists who threaten our very lives, but rather on restraining law enforcement which seeks to protect our safety. Privacy is fine, but at a time such as this, we must guard our security first. This right-left coalition is just another variant on the discredited liberal gang from the 60's which sought to tie the hands of the police against criminals. Make no mistake, there is a terrorist conspiracy operating within the borders of the United States. According to testimony from a federal official during congressional hearings last year, "As we know, Middle East terrorist groups - such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Osama bin Laden's organization - are using computerized files, email and encryption to support their organizations." Some so-called conservatives have long opposed allowing law enforcement to have encryption-busting powers. Evidently, the largesse of the computer industry and other special interests can be very influential. The Moose, however, makes no apologies for desiring that the FBI has every tool available to thwart the terrorist plans. Give Attorney General Ashcroft all he requests, and more. If this is war, it is time for both the left and the right to choose sides. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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