The North Coast times-eagle., December 01, 2001, Page 4, Image 4

PAGE 4
THE SILENCE
OF FRIENDS
CAUTION: READING THIS MAYBE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.
BY KATE O’NEAL
PAUL LACHINE
The Rules have changed. We have a brand new crime
called Domestic Terrorism, the definition of which is so broad
that it effectively covers all forms of dissent and those supporting
such dissent By reading the following seditious article you may
be committing a crime
Before we get into the really nasty stuff let's take a quick
glance at the big guns behind "Big Brother," the Office of Home­
land Security The ultimate police state body, it was created
solely by an Executive Order from George W. Bush and super­
sedes all other agencies, even the judiciary. There is no over­
sight on it's activities or budget except forthat of the President
himself It is a huge new entity that essentially combines all
police, FBI, NSA and CIA agencies with the military forces.
Services that have always been used for foreign spying,
assassinations and waging wars are now to be turned upon us!
The conservative columnist, William Safire, wrote, "...the
President of the United States has just assumed what amounts
to dictatorial power."
If you think you're safe, that this isn't going to make a
difference in your life because you're a good person who doesn't
commit crimes, think again: the "USA PATRIOT ACT" (HR 3162)
nullifies our First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth amendments to the
Constitution Now that's nasty and it just may make a difference
in your life.
When Abraham Lincoln suspended one of the
Amendments (the writ of habeas corpus, for war protesters)
during the Civil War, the Supreme Court stated:
“The Constitution of the United States is a law for rulers
and people equally in war and in peace, and covers with the
shield of its protection all classes of men, at all times, and under
all circumstances No doctrine, involving more pernicious
consequences, was ever invented by the wit of man than that
any of its provisions can be suspended during any of the great
exigencies of government." - Ex parte Milligan (1866).
The First Amendment, in our Bill of Rights, guarantees
freedom of speech, the press and the right of the people to
"peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for
redress of grievances" Under the new law, such coercion
can be legally called terrorism! (That's what the President's
Press Secretary. An Fleischer, meant when he said, "People
had better start watching what they say...") Section 802 of HR
3162 defines domestic terrorism as “activities that involve acts
dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws
of the United States: and "appear to be intended to intimidate
or coerce a civilian population;" or “to influence the policy of a
government by intimidation or coercion..." This law has already
been used against nonviolent antiwar demonstrators who were
CANNON BEACH (503) 436-0549
arrested for marching in Hartford, Connecticut on Oct. 25. They
were charged not with the usual misdemeanor offenses common
in these instances but with felonies carrying multi-year prison
terms on conviction Now, you may not be a nonviolent activist
yourself, but should they really be locked up? Will it make us
safer?
The Second Amendment guarantees "the right of the
people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects,
against unreasonable searches and seizures, (and) shall not be
violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause."
The new "Sneak & Peak" provision allows for any law enforce­
ment officer to come into your home or business without a
warrant, when you're not there and, without ever telling you ,
search through all your things. Then, if you find out about it and
tell anyone, you can arrested just forthat! This is one of the
majority of new laws that do not have a "sunset provision", an
automatic termination date. If you take as little as $5,000 out
of your bank account this is legally considered "suspicious
activity" and is supposed to be reported to the feds. Your e-mail
can be searched as well as your business and even health
records. All without probable cause and without your knowledge.
All without even the suspicion of your being guilty of a crime.
You need not have committed a crime; it's enough to cook your
goose if they think you may in the future commit some crime!
I'm not exaggerating and you can understand the rationale:
should you be thinking about committing a crime, you can be
prevented from carrying it out. (Remember the old idea about
being "innocent until proven guilty"? Well, now you don't even
need to be guilty!)
The Fourth Amendment states no person "shall be
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."
So far, and so far as we know, only immigrants and foreign
visitors to our fair land of liberty are being held without these
rights (We really don't know, though, they haven't told us who
the approximately 1,200 people are that they've got locked away
in interrogation rooms. We only have the name of one who
died.)
The Sixth Amendment guarantees a "speedy and public
trial by an impartial jury" and that" the accused be informed of
the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining
witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of council for
his defense." Under the new rules, some will be tried under a
military tribunal with the power of execution and without appeal.
Only two of the three military judges need agree on guilt; the
decision need not be unanimous. Those accused will not even
be able to speak to their lawyers in private now. (Although that's
not written into the law it has been decreed to be so.) Even in
open court, the accused is no longer entitled to know what the
charges are, or of the evidence to be used against him if it is
claimed the disclosure would "violate national security".
The Eighth Amendment, specifically the part about “cruel
and unusual punishments", is in great peril, too, as "those who
know what's best for us" debate the use of torture Torture'. They
are seriously considering making it legal under U.S. law! That
it is illegal under international law doesn't seem to bother these
people. Who are these guys, anyway?
If we allow the dismantling of our Constitution, what's
left that makes our country great? What's to fight for? What's
to protect? Are we really going to be safer now that we don't
have these rights? How would these new laws have protected
us from the September 11 attack? Benjamin Franklin, no dummy,
once said "...if we give up our essential rights for some security,
we are in danger of losing both."
The "Office of Homeland Security" was created solely by
Presidential edict and I don't know what we can do about it, but
the USA PATRIOT ACT was voted on and passed both the
House and the Senate with little opposition in the end How on
earth could that happen? Besides the sense of urgency created
by the terrorists and the President, one factor was that our
elected representatives didn't even read the bill before it was
voted on! The House and Senate versions were being cobbled
together in committee until a few hours before the vote, and the
325 pages, consisting of 51 separate bills, weren't even printed
up by vote time!
The good news is now that some of our representatives
have read the bill, they, too, are appalled at what they've done.
After all, when they took their oath of office they swore to uphold
the Constitution. (Representative Ron Paul [R] of Texas, after
reading the bill, told Kelly O'Meara of the Washington Times'
Insight magazine, “Our forefathers would think it's time for a
revolution. This is why they revolted in the first place. They
revolted against much more mild oppression ”) This piece of
legislation is unconstitutional as all get-out and it doesn't take a
rocket scientist to see it. There’s a growing movement to get the
stinking thing repealed and if "We the People” can find the time
to give our representatives a call and tell them we expect them to
do it, we may just save our democracy yet. At least we can try.
For the sake of our children if not for ourselves.
'In the End, we will remember not the words of our
enemies, but the silence of our friends." (Dr Martin Luther King,
Jr.)
Kate O'Neal lives in Grays River, Washington