Posted on 08/02/2002 2:00:33 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
If Bill Clinton were still in the White House, Republicans would be on the march against Bigger Government and Bigger Spending. Unfortunately, too many prominent Republicans are cottoning up to increased federal control and the increased spending that goes with it.
One of the five components of the Citizen Corps, created by the President in January, is Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System). This is designed to be "a nationwide program to help thousands of American truck drivers, letter carriers, train conductors, ship captains, and utility workers report potential terrorist activity."
Operation TIPS calls on Americans, in their daily course of work activities, to monitor and report "suspicious" activities to a central reporting center. You can bet that all those "suspicious" activities will be entered on a national database available to the prying eyes of federal bureaucrats.
Majority Leader Dick Armey objects; the Homeland legislation his committee just reported out specifically prohibits implementation of Operation TIPS. And the U.S. Postal Service announced that our friendly letter carriers are not going to double as government spies.
When we observe something illegal or potentially dangerous, of course we should sound an alarm, as the airplane passenger did when he saw his seatmate lighting a fuse in his shoe. But common-sense alertness is a far cry from institutionalizing a federal system of informers.
The President's 90-page National Strategy for Homeland Security (NSHS) released on July 16 sets us on the path of morphing driver's licenses into a national ID card, a longtime goal of big-government types who hope that our fears about a repeat of 9/11 give them the opportunity to push this thoroughly un-American idea. Highlighting the diversity of state laws, the NSHS includes a vague requirement to "coordinate suggested minimum standards for state driver's licenses."
Congress actually passed legislation in 1996 requiring driver's licenses to contain a Social Security number that could be read visually or electronically. After the voters found out that this provision would turn driver's licenses into national ID cards, it was repealed in 1999.
The Homeland legislation reported out of Rep. Armey's committee includes this caveat: "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize the development of a national identification system or card."
Instead of trying to take over driver's licenses, which are and should be under state jurisdiction, the federal government should be cleaning up the irresponsible way it issues visas to people from terrorist countries. We do need an identification system for aliens with smart ID cards to assure that they live up to the terms of their entry and go home when their visa time is up.
The Fourth of July murderer at the Los Angeles airport was in the United States because he took advantage of the now-expired 254(i) amnesty loophole (which, unfortunately, President Bush is trying to get Congress to revive), and his wife won legal residence through Ted Kennedy's Visa Diversity Lottery Law. A good start on Homeland Security would be to deep-six every kind of amnesty and repeal the Diversity Lottery.
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon were surprised to learn that the NSHS calls for a "plan for military support to civil authorities." Military support, such as through the National Guard, is to include "technical support and assistance to law enforcement, assisting in the restoration of law and order, loaning specialized equipment, and assisting in consequence management."
Those dangerous concepts remind us of the use of the military (including tanks) against civilians that resulted in the 1993 incineration of dozens of children at the Branch Davidian home near Waco, Texas. If U.S. troops are to defend us against terrorists, they should be used to prevent suspicious aliens from coming across our borders, not for police work against U.S. citizens.
Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart, the head of Bush's newly established Northern Command for domestic security, said we should review the Posse Comitatus law "if we think it ties our hands." But tying the hands of the military over civilians is what Posse Comitatus is supposed to do.
In 1998 the Clinton Administration proposed a federal regulation called Know Your Customer, which would have turned your friendly local banker into a snoop reporting to the federal database called FinCen any deviation from what the bank decided is your deposits/withdrawal profile. The American people responded with 300,000 angry e-mail criticisms and the regulation was withdrawn.
The Bush Administration's proposed regulations to implement the USA Patriot Act passed last year are even more intrusive. Some people seem to think it's acceptable to profile the bank accounts of law-abiding citizens but not acceptable to profile Middle Eastern Muslim aliens who might hijack an airplane.
Americans must not allow the 9/11 terrorists to turn America into a police state. The job of the Federal Government is to stop suspicious people at the border.
You are mistaken. There are several proposals afoot to eliminate or reduce the restrictions of posse comitatus.
As for bashing the government. I believe that the government that governs least governs best. When this country was formed the colonies were part of the freest, most powerful richest nation on earth. Many here didn't see why we should give that up.
Ben Franklin's son argued with his father that it was crazy to rebel against Great Britain. Ben saw it differently. Ben believed that the government was too big and intrusive he wanted even more freedom. The two never reconciled their differences. Young Franklin went to live in England rather than become a rebel and start a new country.
I agree with Ben and not his son. I don't want the government to be anywhere as big or as powerful and intrusive as it is. I want more freedom and liberty.
Are we the freest country on earth now? Yes indeed.
Could we have more freedom? Yes indeed.
Are we as free as we were fifty years ago? NO!
Are we as free as Franklin, Henry, Madison, Jefferson and Washington wanted us to be? Again .. NO!
So I'm sorry if you like our bloated intrusive government. We just disagree, as Ben Franklin and his son did more than 200 years ago.
I expect there will always be a disagreement between those of us who value freedom more than safety or wealth and those who will trade freedom for safety. Thankfully we can still debate the subject. However, if we are not constantly vigilant we may not be able to have this discussion in the future.
The Congress and president already trampled all over our First Amendment right of political speech with their campaign finance reform. Other rights that were untouchable 5 or 10 years ago were eroded by the "patriot" bill.
That bill was the same bill drafted by Janet Reno and introduced in 1999. Republicans stopped it in 2000. Bush pulled it off the shelf and rammed it through congress in 2001. Republicans didn't stop it then because they put party before freedom. None of them even read the bill before they voted on it because the copies weren't ready at the printer before the vote.
Am I worried about our freedoms? Hell Yes!!! I don't apologize for it. Nor do I think less of you for not being concerned. Everyone has their own set of values and their own priorities. Mine are just different from yours. As long as we are still allowed to debate I plan to try to convince as many people as possible that my ideas are more right than yours. I expect that you will do the same. In the America that I love that is acceptable and to be encouraged.
I'm sorry that I will not be here to respond to your next post but my grandchildren are waiting for me to take them to dinner. I'll get back to you tomorrow. Best regards, SUSSA
If I can play...I would like to nominate the INS as the government entity I like best. They have done a swell job of stemming the illegal flow of immigrants across our southern borders.
Considering the numbers of Agents, (2000) to cover the borders they watch, and considering how dangerous their job is, I would NOMINATE you to PLEASE VOLUNTEER your time and life and lets see if YOU can do a BETTER job, K??
Let's see...I am also particularly fond of the IRS. They do a great job of collecting money before the rightful owner even knows it's missing.
Say what??? (I'll answer that one when it makes sense. Unless of course you're talking about people who *evade* paying their taxes like the rest of us, then I have a HUGE problem with them and YOU!! And NO Pity for you/them either. I'm for changes, but I didn't see you address any of the serious problems, just spouting off empty nonsense).
And last but not least the vaunted FBI. Other than having a cross-dressing director for 20 some years, they did a wonderful job of intelligence regarding 9-11 and Oklahoma City.
Where to begin.. how to EDUCATE sublime ignorance in a few words. So much work to do.. so little time.
Firstly, There are some damn awesome FBI agents out there. Michael Spann for one, or did you forget that there are real people putting thier lives on the line for us? *(I think you've watched to many James Bond movies.. it isn't this glamorous job you invision). As to the "Cross Dressing Director".. are you intent to continue living in the past? What does Hoover have to do with TODAY? Or even the last decade??
As to 9/11 and Oklahoma, when you diminish our resources like the previous administration did, you have less intelligence. Surprized?? When you pass laws like the Torrecelli Amendment, then they cannot gather the information they need. Or they fear being "uncovered" ~OR~ they don't have the time to wait for a request to go up the line of command in order to gather said intelligence. I would educate you on the damage the Toreccelli Amendment did to intelligence gathering,. but I think perhaps it would do you GOOD to look it up.
But wait, let's not forget the wonderful incineration job they did at Waco. Anybody else?
I think there were SERIOUS problems in Waco, and Ruby Ridge. But this is a different administration, and a different Attorney General.
I also would wager that those ATF Agents WHO DIED at WACO would argue (if they were ALIVE to do so) that the people inside were not simply sweet Bible Thumping victims. The men inside were no better than the recent head of Hamas who used kids as a shield. Why didn't they come out? Because they were paranoid, and brainwashed (not unlike some here) who thinks our Government is the big bad boogie man.
Crap, this will probably get me on the list.
If you mean the "MENTALLY WACKO PARANOID" list.. you're right. You made it. Congrats!!
Tell me what FREEDOMS you have if you are DEAD? You WILL have the FREEDOM to decay. That's a given.
As to your patronizing comment that YOU value our FREEDOMS more than us, you are wrong. Hopefully NOT DEAD Wrong..and hopefully people who are naive like you, will NOT bring ALL of us down with you.
We had MORE FREEDOMS 50 years ago? Tell me what they were. Don't spew this diatribe at me without facts.
I am happy to debate this subject. But I want facts, not some emotional dribble that I've heard since the 60's.
Answer me this, what FREEDOMS have you lost since the 50's?
I agree a citizenry must always be vigilant. Thats why we SHOULD excercise our rights and go to the VOTING BOOTH. MARCH if need be to get our views heard. Have you attended a rally in the last year or more? During the election? Tell me what you have done to be vigilant?
So why aren't YOU in Russia...the MOTHERLAND???
They are talking about deputizing, telephone and cable repairmen, postmen, who ever else, plumbers? to look for "terrorists". This means new government jobs for some department, and more funding for that department, be it the FBI or Homeland Security, they love funding, they do everything in their power to make that funding grow. It is a complete and total violation of the 4th amendment for a deputy of the government to come in your home without a warrant.
Now how do they keep the edge on their deputies, who are going to lose interest and grow stale when they don't find alot of terrorists? Have them look for other information? Who owns a bible, who has a head of a deer on their wall, who gets political literature in their mail?
The FBI is already using that little prefered customer card hanging off your key chain to track suspecious purchases, and you want to tell us that TIPS is just a little neighborhood watch association?
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