Opinion

New act would limit freedoms

Brandon Moeller
Opinion Columnist

Give me liberty or give me death. But in a post-9/11 America, could it be possible that both could be dealt to the citizens of the richest and freest nation in the history of mankind? 

Certainly, with all of these damned terrorists running around. Iim not sure who I fear more, Osama bin "Boogeyman" Laden, Saddam "Not Gonna Die" Hussein or the federal empire.

In regards to bin Laden or Saddam -- two power-grabbing fascists who wouldnit share the same room -- at least theyire not going to restrict the freedom of the American people. If they get lucky, which they rarely or never do, they might launch an attack against us. If they do, unfortunately, some Americans might die by their sword. 

But it is important to ensure that Americans die as Americans -- the freedom-loving people we have become after hundreds of years of struggle. For if we roll back the progress of this great nation out of fear of insane monsters on the other side of the world, we will let them defeat our ideas and principles that have stood for so long and for good reason.

Late last week, one unknown American patriot with access to the belly of the Bush regime leaked a scary revelation of what the Bushites want to do to a fear-obsessed citizenry. The patriot slipped the document to the Center for Public Integrity, and Bill Moyersi PBS show NOW broke the story Friday.

This week, experts are dissecting the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, the bastard son of the hurried and little-debated USA Patriot Act, which was rammed through Congress six weeks after the Twin Towers fell.

The Bush administration has since had 18 months to devise a scheme, an authoritative wet dream, to further enhance the powers of the U.S. intelligence agencies and the power-hungry behemoth executive branch. Remember, these are the same guys who couldnit warn us about 9/11 in the first place.

If the DSEA is fully approved by Congress, it would give the U.S. Attorney General, now the gospel-singing, ethnic-cleansing John Ashcroft, the power to deport any foreigner, basically at his own whim. It would enable the government to keep any arrests secret until an indictment is pulled from nowhere.

This would mark the first time that secret arrests have been deemed legal in the history of this country … but certainly not the first time they have been used. Journalists and the public still donit know all the facts about the more than 1,000 people detained based on suspicion of terrorism shortly after 9/11. Some have been released but none have been handed criminal terrorist charges.

The DSEA would also gut, if not totally eliminate, the Freedom of Information Act. This is well after Ashcroft already sent a letter to every federal employee telling them to deny FOIA requests if they were "in doubt."

The DSEA of 2003 was held in secrecy, behind what Republican Indiana Rep. Dan Burton has called the "iron veil" of the executive branch. Many analysts have prophesized that Bush wanted to wait until the escalation of the Iraq war to release the DSEA, so that it wouldnit get intense coverage by the media during wartime. Letis hope the media doesnit over-saturate us with Iraq coverage while missing the war on liberty that is being waged right under our noses.

Bush, or at least his people, sure know how to play their cards right. Though they often pull from the bottom of the deck, these guys know that public opinion usually shifts to support the leader in a time of war. 

But for how long? The Vietnam conflict lasted longer than 10 years. On an international scale, and perhaps even on a national scale, more people have come out opposing the Iraq attack than at the climax of the Vietnam anti-war resistance. Itis true -- anybody who tells you otherwise is screwing with the numbers, probably because they come from the Vietnam generation, and, as always, their generation is more active than your generation. 

Bushis daddy didnit get re-elected to a second term, probably because after the first quick Iraq attack, the press, especially The Washington Post, shot down the governmentis claims of efficiency during that conflict. The American public learned after the fact, as is usually the unfortunate case, that smart bombs arenit so smart. Of course, the Iraq conflict wasnit the only reason Bushis daddy didnit realize his dream of a second term, but it did not further his case. 

Nonetheless, with the news of the DSEA surfacing, I am becoming more convinced that Bush wants to end democracy in this country. Representative democracy is maintained by the free flow of information. When that flow is restricted, people donit know what their representatives are doing.

Bill Moyers noted on his show Friday that the House Judiciary Committee recently asked Justice Department officials how they have implemented the Patriot Act, to which they replied: "We canit tell you that information; itis classified." 

When government is open, it is pressured by the public and journalists to do whatis best for the people. When itis closed, the people are shut out of a system that morphs from a democracy to a dictatorship. Imagine following leaders who wonit tell you why, how or what theyire doing, but can only assure you that what theyire doing is in your best interest. Now thatis scary. 

Moeller, a senior communication major, can be reached at brandonmoeller@hotmail.com.