- WASHINGTON - More than 150
organizations on the left and right, and hundreds of computer scientists
and law professors are circulating a petition urging that personal freedoms
not be sacrificed in the fight against terrorism.
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- At a news conference organized by the Free Congress
Foundation's
Coalition for Constitutional Liberties, the broad coalition recalled that
in every conflict since the Civil War, the long-range pressures in the
crisis of the moment have been aimed at greatly expanding the powers of
the federal government to restrict our freedoms.
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- Anyone following much of the wall-to-wall TV coverage
of the terrorist attacks Sept. 11 has heard the repeated mantra about how
"we're going to have to give up some of our freedoms" if we are
to succeed in fighting back.
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- That, of course, puts President Bush and Congress, as
well as state and local officials to a crucial test.
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- Bottom line: Can our lawmakers wage a war against
terrorism
in the name of protecting freedom and at the same time make sure that very
freedom is not diminished at home by measures of our own government?
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- Free Congress President Paul M. Weyrich was among the
first to warn of this dilemma within days of the attacks on the Pentagon
and the Word Trade Center.
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- But it's not a case of either/or, the 150 co-signers
warn. Pitting civil liberties against security is "a false
choice,"
says their statement.
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- Among the groups in the coalition are the American
Association
of Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and the Rutherford Institute, generally
considered conservative, and the American Civil Liberties Union and Common
Cause, often in the forefront of liberal causes. All signed on to the
statement
entitled "In Defense of Freedom at a Time of Crisis."
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- Dr. Jane Orient, AAPS Director, says that while her
organization
"does not agree on every point or all wording of the statement,"
the potential for privacy violations was so great as to make this coming
together of diverse groups was "necessary."
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- Government efforts to make haste in destroying our enemy
must be encouraged, AAPS believes, but it is also possible to make haste
in destroying our country "just to keep our adversaries from doing
it first."
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- The co-signers believe calm is required to determine
where our intelligence and security failed.
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- Already there are reports that legislation is being
sought
on Capitol Hill to make it easier for law enforcement agencies to tap our
phones, monitor our e-mail, and check our voice-mail messages. Hopefully,
such legislation won't see the light of day if it is formally
introduced.
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- Reports are a dime a dozen in tense times such as what
this country has experienced since Sept. 11. But this diverse group hopes
Americans will be able to keep their heads as they go about their tasks
in countering the monstrous threat we face.
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- This group is in no way to be confused with a so-called
"peace" movement that is beginning to gather and hold
demonstrations
around the country against President Bush's attempts to rally the country
in this time of crisis. That is a coalition with a different agenda.
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- The petition can be found at DefendYourFreedom.com.
http://www.defendyourfreedom.org/
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- http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/9/21/215438.shtml
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