chat, Exactly my sentiments. Thanks. c.i.
Asherman, Another bigot was railroaded to resign his post in congress. I have no qualms about "railroad" for these dangerous politicians. Your sweet talks about "rule of law and due process" doesn't mean much when this administration continues to work on taking away our Bill of Rights, our "due process," and our privacy. c.i.
Asherman, I would also suggest to you that you look into "Patriot II" on A2K. c.i.
Which of the Bill of Rights do you believe has been denied you, or any other citizen by the current administration? If you want to argue that there has been some errosion of the Bill of Rights since 1939, I'll probably agree with you. I think more harm has been done to the Bill of Rights by the left-wing of the polity than from the right.
Individuals have less privacy now than they did in Kansas in 1880, but then the technilogical changes in the world have consequenses. The telephone certainly intruded upon a person's solitude, but that had its upside. Mass marketing is based on sophisticated studies about the desires and spending habits of various demographic cohorts. Instant opinion surveys have become important tools for a number of purposes, and they all are based on questions that often pry deeply into our privacy. The internet is like a complex radio, our signals are broadcast to the world and we have very little control over who "listens".
In these days when our way of life is under attack, when cowardly terrorists plot to kill our citizens, it would be irresponsible if the government did not monitor what is being said on the internet. The terrorists talk to one another, plot and plan using cell phones and the internet. Should we ignor them? After the next attack, do you think the People will understand if the Intelligence Community says something like, "we might have stopped the attack, but out of respect for the privacy of the terrorists, we don't monitor signals".
The only people not given the benefit of due process, are enemy aliens. Those captured in Afghanistan, or elsewhere, are not covered by the Bill of Rights. American citizens are entitled to due process, and mostly they get it. Those who feel that they have been denied due process can and should pursue the matter through the appellate courts. BTW, the Constitution provides for suspension of Habeas Corpus during times of national crisis. Lincoln suspended the Great Writ for the duration of the Civil War, and it is possible that it might be invoked again. That would be both legal and constitutional, but is unlikely unless the situation becomes much worse than it is.
You have a legitimate grievance about WWII internment, but you seem willing to take the same course against those whose opinions you find offensive. Railroad them you say. Railroad them into internment camps?
Come on, Asherman, you should know better. I bet everybody else on this forum knows what I mean, except you. c.i.
I don't believe that for a second.
Asherman, This was the last sentence in my very first post on this forum. "I hope his political future ends up the same way as Trent Lott, another bigot." I know without question that you did not forget. c.i.
Cicero,
Where is the Patriot II thread located? Is it active? I seem to recall seeing it sometime ago, but where?
You did indeed wish the insensitive congressman into the political graveyard. I also hope that he and others like him quickly depart the scene. It is unlikely though that congress will ever be free of idiots, that's part of the definition of the species. The problem I had is that your rhetoric over the course of the thread has become increasingly less charitable, and certainly hints that you wouldn't object to riding the tarheel out of town on a rail after a liberal application of hot tar and chicken feathers. The very sort of approach taken by those who created the internment camps of WWII. We have to get beyond that. We have to insist that the rule of law and due process be followed. Otherwise, the danger of such unconstitutional policies will haunt us.
I suspect that intolerance toward people of middle-eastern descent will increase if attacks on the order of 911 occur a few more times. Such attacks are almost certain, though the government is doing all that it can to prevent them. When significant numbers of Americans demand restrictions on those people, shouldn't they be afforded due process and a fair hearing? We can not just pick and choose who will be protected from proscription and those who won't. If the KKK, or Nazis, or Communists are proscribed then it is that much easier to "railroad" Arabs, or Japanese, or Buddhists, or whoever currently expresses an unpopular idea. I take the Constitution very seriously.
Asherman
Yes, the temptation will be there in a time of stress. The voices calling for temporary justified abatement of constitutional guarantees will be those who most easily fall towards the totalitarian 'solutions'. And they ought to be fought.
Asherman, Here's the A2K link on Patriot II.
http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=99961&highlight=patriot+ii#99961
Provide us with your opinion after you read it. c.i.
Asherman, Here's another link on A2K on the Patriot Act.
http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3886&highlight=patriot+ii
I want to hear about your defense of "legal process," and our protection of our liberties. c.i.
