Re: [OT] NYC Terrorism (was: RE: [dvd-discuss] Re: Sen. Hollingsplan s to introduceDMCAsequel : The SSSCA)

[Jeme A Brelin <jeme(at)brelin.net>]

On Wed, 12 Sep 2001, Richard Hartman wrote:
> Well, there now we have to wait on Dubya.  I sincerly hope that he has
> the guts to do what needs to be done.  (For a well-written piece that
> says exactly what _I_ think needs to be done, check here:
> http://www.claremont.org/precepts/296.cfm This piece was written by
> Bruce Herschensohn directed to President Clinton after the incident in
> Saudi Arabia in '96 -- it is even more valid today than it was then.)

Don't you realize that such a "war on terrorism" would give the US
government unprecedented in-roads to violating civil rights?

What about the right of political groups within this country to have
unpopular opinions and still meet in privacy without infiltrators or
wire-taps?

A war against terrorism would certainly include a ban on strong
cryptography and a mandatory key escrow system.

A war against terrorism would make enemies of the myriad voices REQUIRED
for a free and healthy democracy.

> Again, I'm not so sure.  The airports are already retooling their
> security procedures.  The new procedures may very well include random
> searches of baggage (checked or carry-on I don't know...).  That is
> abridgement right there.

And a War Against Terrorism would be worse.

> Let us hope that the rhetoric about this being another Pearl Harbor is
> taken to heart.  The Nation of Terrorism has been at war with us
> (civilization, not just the US) for a long time.  It is time we dealt
> with that fact, and recognize (again) that unreasonable men do not
> respond to reason.

The "Nation of Terrorism" is an amorphous, undefinable non-entity.

The War on the Nation of Terrorism would be more powerful even than the
War on Drugs in making enemies of our neighbors and families.

Those of us with unpopular political opinions are not all just "potential
terrorists" and our democracy depends on those of you that agree with the
standing regime to protect us.

The one true way to prevent terrorism (and drug abuse, incidentally) is to
improve social equality and stop using our military might to exploit the
third world for trans-national corporations.

J.
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     Jeme A Brelin
    jeme@brelin.net
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