- "I ask the Congress to join me in creating a single,
permanent department with an overriding and urgent mission: securing the
homeland of America, and protecting the American people." ~ President
George W. Bush
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- When the CIA was created, it was forbidden by law from
operations on American soil, and for a very good reason. With certain historical
exceptions, the citizens of the United States had never had to deal with
a federal agency specifically devoted to gathering domestic intelligence
regarding its civilians. The very concept was anathema to everything that
being an American citizen was supposed to mean. Not for nothing did Americans
boo and hiss at the Hollywood image of a jackbooted Nazi asking 'Your papers,
please' to European travelers.
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- Certainly there have been exceptions. The excesses of
the FBI are well illustrated by COINTELPRO and related operations I've
discussed in my last few columns. We also have the terrible example of
Attorney General Palmer, and his infamous Red Raids that also gave J. Edgar
Hoover his first taste of power at the beginning of the 20th century. But
broadly speaking, as a sustained national effort, domestic spying has never
been an accepted part of the American landscape.
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- Until now.
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- In the last several weeks we've seen a concerted effort
to ratchet up the power of the FBI, with John Ashcroft imperiously decreeing
sweeping new powers for the already bloated and arrogant agency. Its director,
Robert Mueller, has requested additional agents and money as it works to
meet its "paramount mission of prevention." Mueller says that
"The FBI must become better at shaping its workforce, collaborating
with its partners, applying technology to support investigations, operations
and analyzes, protecting our information and developing core competencies."
This so-called "paramount mission of prevention" is in actuality
a naked federal power-grab.
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- Now with his address to the nation, President George
W. Bush has raised the stakes beyond belief. An American president has
called for the creation of a cabinet-level domestic intelligence agency
with unprecedented powers over every American. Quoting the President:
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- "Tonight, I propose a permanent Cabinet-level Department
of Homeland Security to unite essential agencies that must work more closely
together: Among them, the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the Customs Service,
Immigration officials, the Transportation Security Administration, and
the Federal Emergency Management Agency."
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- Not mentioned, but surely to be included as part of this
frightening new organization will be elements from the FBI, BATF, SS, DEA,
EPA and probably many, many other armed agents and analysts from the various
proliferating federal alphabet agencies. As I mentioned many months ago,
even the name "Homeland Security" has a ominous ring, something
vaguely Germanic and un-American. This proposed plan is truly a Rubicon
that once crossed will drastically change our lives as Americans.
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- "This new agency will control our borders and prevent
terrorists and explosives from entering our country."
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- No it won't.
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- Nothing will prevent terror operations both domestic
and foreign but a complete overhaul of our interventionist foreign policy.
It's a truism that a terrorist has to get lucky only once. With thousands
of miles of borders, international flights, inbound shipping and all the
other myriad ways of entry into our country, no agency can provide security.
Only an honest, freedom-loving foreign policy can achieve this.
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- "It will work with state and local authorities to
respond quickly and effectively to emergencies."
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- No it won't.
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- Of the still uncounted dead who responded to help the
victims of the Twin Towers collapse, just how many were federal employees?
It was local firemen, policemen and paramedics who bravely sacrificed their
lives, not federal bureaucrats from FEMA.
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- "It will bring together our best scientists to develop
technologies that detect biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, and
to discover the drugs and treatments to best protect our citizens."
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- No it won't.
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- It will place bureaucratic barriers in the way of scientists
and technologists seeking to develop new medicines and diagnostic procedures.
Examine the record of the FDA and ask yourself it it inspires confidence.
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- And this new department will review intelligence and
law enforcement information from all agencies of government, and produce
a single daily picture of threats against our homeland.
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- No it won't.
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- It will have the twofold effect of both consolidating
power at the federal level and producing more diffuse targets for finger-pointing,
blame and scape-goating when the next incident does occur.
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- "Only the United States Congress can create a new
department of government. So tonight, I ask for your help in encouraging
your representatives to support my plan. We face an urgent need, and we
must move quickly, this year, before the end of the congressional session"
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- In this, Bush is correct. One wonders what the reaction
of past Congresses would have been to such a plan. A Congress true to its
oath of office would have demanded impeachment of a president who requested
such power. But how long has it been since we've been graced with a Congressional
body with that quality?
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- Never, in my lifetime.
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- Unfortunately, this unconstitutional plan has already
met with approval from leaders from both sides of the Congressional aisle.
It will be interesting to see if Bush's appeal produces much reaction from
the public. My prediction is that it won't and this new department of fear
and insecurity will be rubber-stamped by a constitutionally contemptuous
Congress.
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- We have the sad fate of being under the Chinese curse
of living in interesting times. The picture for freedom is gloomy at the
start of this new millennium.
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- http://www.lewrockwell.com/elkins/elkins69.html
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