Cynthia Tucker: Bob Barr serving as reasonable voice on law enforcement powers

If the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have brought out the best in even flawed public officials --- as former New York Mayor Ed Koch said of current Mayor Rudolph Giuliani --- then Georgians have reason to be hopeful about a continued rehabilitation of Republican Congressman Bob Barr. At a time when national anxiety could erode civil liberties, he has the chance to become a valued defender of our fundamental rights.

Though Barr served honorably for four years as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, his congressional career has been characterized by wild-eyed and hypocritical campaigns against those who offend his public sexual mores. He has railed against the prospect of gay marriage; he was relentless in his campaign to impeach former President Clinton; he was the first congressman to call for the resignation of his Democratic colleague Gary Condit.

But, in the last two weeks, Barr has also become a reasonable voice of restraint as federal law enforcement officials have sought to broaden their powers in response to the devastating terrorist attacks. When Attorney General John Ashcroft appeared before Congress on Monday to try to ram through a sweeping expansion of police powers, Barr, among others, applied the brakes.

"Why is it necessary to propose a laundry list of changes to criminal law generally, and criminal procedure generally, and cast such a wide net?" he asked.

It's a good thing members of Congress are showing skepticism about these new law enforcement requests, since a panicked public is prepared to acquiesce. A New York Times/CBS News poll released this week showed that 80 percent of Americans believe they will have to forfeit some personal freedoms in order to be safer. That's more than gave that answer immediately after the attacks.

Strange thing is, weak police powers are not the reason for the failure of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to detect the terrorists' plans. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies make those claims now to cover their lapses. Look closely: News reports abound of evidence that law enforcement had in hand but failed to act on.

Not only were there reports that suspected members of Osama bin Laden's network were living inside the United States, but it now turns out that the FBI had evidence, as early as 1996, that suspected terrorists were taking flight lessons in the United States. Given that popular espionage novelist Tom Clancy had used a terrorist attack by airplane as the plot of novel a few years ago --- "Debt of Honor" --- might the FBI have checked on those guys? Instead of passing broad new police powers, could Congress just require FBI agents to read Clancy?

With pressure now on the agency to do a better job of protecting the homeland, the FBI wants broad authority to wiretap cellphones as well as intercept e-mails and the power to detain immigrants indefinitely, with only the flimsiest hint of evidence against them. It will take a solid coalition of liberals, centrists and conservatives to make sure law enforcement agencies don't go overboard.

Barr has the conservative credentials that give him a powerful voice in this debate. He has a background not only as a federal prosecutor but also as a CIA analyst. Long a defender of the gun lobby, no one can accuse him of being soft on terrorists. Let's hope he continues to use that influence to protect his nation from its greatest enemy at a time like this: panic.

"the FAA is making excuses because they have always told pilots, crew, and passengers to "just give the highjacker what they want...don't resist..." Almost all government and police agencies seem to tell people this. I mean, damn, in some jurisdictions in the USA, if you defend yourself in a robbery, the DA will do everything they can to prosecute YOU, the victim."

Yes.

Poor public service by our "leaders," is constantly in evidence: government agencies prosecuting in some degree the vulnerable people. Note on another thread, from a report in the Arizona Republic newspaper, that Arizona's A.G., Ms. Napolitano, has said that all people uttering any ethnic slur are to be investigated.

She is yet another example of microscopic focusing by our public "policy makers" and "leaders" upon the minute aspects of our lives ... instead of such public "experts" taking on the "heavy work requirments" by going after "the big fish."

Our so-called "policy makers" are loathe to end their political careers by "intolerant" examination of an ethnic group (and placing them in concentrated living space { - which practice I also happen to loathe, but not because I am trying to be liked by the "politically correct" } ) ... but said "leaders" are happy to round up people for what they are thinking or seem to be thinking, which thought is defined by the Ministry of Thought Security (The Office of Homeland blah, blah, blah coordinating the fax lines at the D.N.C., the N.A.A.L.C.P, P.B.S., and Peter Jennings's underwear) to be "insensitive."

So if you look alike you're a protected species, but if you think, you're a "hate crime" waiting to happen ... unless, of course, you're a member of "politically correct" fascist/species in agreement with the Arizona State A.G. and her vast "liberal," "expert," control freaks.

Indeed, our government agents are obsessed with protectting their fiefdoms and pointing the blame toward what they desire the public eye to be focused upon: Ms. Jone's nail file, in the baggage check-in area at your local airport.

Fear mongering is what Bill and Hillary Clinton and all the other LITTLE Clintonistas established as the M. O. for government and corporate "leadership."

Fear your neighbor. Fear volunteers. Fear the Militia. Fear using your head!

Fear what you do not know and are ignorant about because you have not learned it --- actually --- the thing these fear mongers DO NOT WANT you to suddenly begin to make a study of:

- your Constitution

- your rights

- etc.

Nope. Don't do THAT. You'll upset the realm of "trickle-down expertise" which the BUREAUCRATICALLY - MINDED have built up to ensure their long-life-cycle of incompetent "leadership."

Their supreme soviet think-prop.

Illegal aliens stream across the border into Texas, but no Muster for the common defense of Texans and Texas by then-Gov. G. W. Bush.

The Clinton Administration trashes the White House, but no prosecution by President Bush.

6 mil + illegal aliens are at large in the U.S.A., but no enforcement of federal laws by President G. W. Bush, and in fact, he was ready to go extra-Constitutional and grant a blanket amnesty ... never mind all the people who waiting, LAWFULLY, in line for their turn to become legal immigrants --- NEVER MIND SUCH INDIVIDUALS' DUE PROCESS AND THEIR RESPECT FOR OUR LAWS.

Instead, our Executives fuss over Ms. Jones and her nail file.

Instead, our Executives fuss of "politically correct" speech and thought in the work place.

Instead, our Executives direct that we not raise an effort to defend ourselves except for a cell phone, to call our Executives so that said Executives can have time to posture over their "expert" response to our dilemma, should that be a fire, rape, robbery, or an attack.

Now comes President Bush's Secretary of the Ministry for State Security, Gov. Ridge of Pennsylvania, to be the Czar of local fire departments all over the country.

I can see it now: the building at Main and Broad is on fire, and the crowd --- including you, who called in the alarm --- looks up the street to see the fire engines racing to the scene.

On board the fire engines are some friends of yours. You momentarily think what it must be like in their shoes.

Then suddenly, the engines stop, the sirens stop ... well short of the fire! And they turn around and head back toward their stations!

What happened?! Are they nuts?!

Well, nope and yep.

Because the Office of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. --- which micromanages and stamps with approval all public service --- has deemed that ITS PROCEDURES were not being followed and ordered a HALT, trumping your local call for help.

ALL THINGS ARE TO BE DECIDED BY "EXPERTS."

You see, first of all, what should have happened --- according to the new-thought-niks --- is that an agent of the Office of Homeland Security must first determine the veracity of the fire alert, and THEN that agent's confirmation to Washington, D.C., sets in motion the telephone call FROM Washington, D.C. to the local fire department.

Call it micromanagment; or call it political correctness; or call it fascism ... it all amounts to the arrogant dismissal of our Constitution as the instrument at the basis of our federal government.

Try and explain that to your pals in the local fire department.

We had, during the Clinton Administration, a stream of "politics of the moment" whereby what was done by our public servants, was authorized by them, from them, for them - selves; and which authority to so act, they found in extra-Constitutional space and / or "polls" ... which was OK with Lanny Davis & Co., never mind their oaths of "professional conduct."

Our political AND [they are] ELECTED(!) "leaders" on "both sides of the isle," are "really tired of" our Constitution, because it hampers what they want: Power.

And unfortunately, any crisis that comes down the pike, will be used by these fear mongers, to engineer yet another grab of that Power.

For the life of them, they cannot think of how to fix or work or do anything differently than by their social direction which satisfies, again, their politics of the moment.

Joanie-f was exactly on target, at another thread, where she pointed out that all the capacity for handling trouble, which the government might employ in the current crisis, is already within the scope of existing departments at both federal and state levels, and especially within the war department, of which we most public recognize the Defense [sub-] Department.

We've been through wars before. But we've not educated our people well, in how we produced and met the demands for logistics, and in how we administered the wars --- because such requirements are not glamorous in the mind of movie producers.

So, in the absence of the American peoples' even fleeting knowledge (learned from a movie(!)) of wartime administration ... our Executives are able to act without regard to our Constitution.

Certainly, in the private sector, there are very few business leaders, who know better; and who might raise some objection.

That'll not like happen much, if at all; especially for the reason that all "bidness" will be posturing at the trough for government contracts in wartime.

Heck. I use Eudora for e-mail, and Qualcomm's office of "political correctness' has inserted a feature which warns the user of possible "offensive" language in the content of the e-mails, both in and out!

They have a committee which decides for all of us, what is and what is not offensive language.

I expect that paper products makers will soon include licensing agreements with each box of 500 sheets, that the user will NOT print "politically incorrect" language upon such stock! or be prosecuted to the fullest extent of Ms. Napolitano's self-importance. (She, again, is the notorious Clinton Admin. appointee, who later gained the A.G. spot in Arizona, home of the truly "inspired," Senator John McCain.)

Such thinking by our public and private leaders, really does border on the fascist. Not to mention that such thinking is stupid --- the model of the bureaucratic mind, tyranny --- from what we most need to protect ourselves.

Thought control is THE order of the day in Washington, D.C. That is what most occupies the "work" of our government.

Because that is what politicians really do: worry about what the people are thinking.

It is precisely that position which the Constitution binds our leaders to, but which now, our "leaders" object.

Now, our "leaders" want to end their suffering by turning the Constitution on its head, by establishing what is correct thought.

And thereby, our "leaders" will not have to work as hard at satisfying the electorate.

"Dumbing down" indeed --- what we tolerate most in this country.

And so incapcitated, are the people who are easily slipped by ... by a terrorist or two or three ...

No matter what the struggle, we must publicly educate, about the matters for which the Founding Fathers expressed such a requirement --- to preserve Liberty and our freedom(s).

That is something which can be done by a newspaper: report that which sets examples of leadership respecting our Constitution and heritage, rule of law, common sense and decency.

We need such a standard bearer, at the grassroots, so that people have something to rally around, the concepts of what once made us a great country; the things which were on the public mind of our founders' generations.

The American Revolution did not happen overnight, and it certainly did not start in 1775.

The structure of governance had already been set up. The structures of defense had already been exercised. The tools were there.

At FreeRepublic.com, much is made of only one of the tools, and except for a very rare point or two, a very few times each year, little time is spent on all the rest of the tools we need to preserve Liberty.

One of the most important of those, is the free press. We really have not put that to work.

And so we let "the left," the social director[ate]s, the "politically correct" ... all define what is and what will be.

We are facing a nation of people who have been led by "the left" to be fearful of thinking for themselves.

We must fight that trend.

We need a newspaper that is circulated at the grassroots, as well as use our other tools with which to save this country, instead of merely piling up sandbags in front of the 2nd Amendment.

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