Or, "Why We Fight." Just thought I'd pass along this gem I found in one of the newsgroups. If true, it shows the unlawful/extralegal reach of government into the pockets of persons not tried, not convicted, not even charged, not even plausibly guilty of anything. This guy is having his OWN MONEY blocked, probed, and frozen. No charges, no court, just done by forces unseen to him. Editorial comment: The Founders would likely be stunned to see bureaucrats in a distant city able to reach in and essentially grab the money of a person without any due process, without fines or court-ordered seizures, just on the say-so of a bureaucrat. This guy below _wrote_ about it, so there are probably hundreds more just like him who choose not to further anger Big Brother by writing angry letters. Me, I'd be so angry I'd probably be strapping on the plastic explosives.... Read it and stoke your righteous anger: --begin article-- This was in today's Washington Post. Check it out at www.washingtonpost.com =============== Letters to the Post == Whose Sacrifice? Monday, December 3, 2001; Page A20 American citizens are willing to sacrifice civil liberties in the fight against terrorism [front page, Nov. 29], but which Americans are doing the sacrificing? Since Sept. 11 the FBI has interviewed me at work and at home because my name is similar not to that of one of the hijackers, but to an individual arrested with suspected links to the terrorists. The FBI has contacted my broker, my neighbors and my friends to learn more about me. I was purchasing an apartment, but when I needed to give my down payment at closing I was informed by my bank that my accounts were frozen. No one informed me nor could anyone help me resolve the problem. Only an angry settlement attorney was able to unfreeze the funds. A month passed, and all seemed normal. Then I found out again that I did not have access to transfer funds from my accounts without government approval. I am a federal employee. I have not been charged with a crime. I do not support terrorism, and I was willing to help the law enforcement agencies. It was my duty as an American to answer all the questions asked of me. But as time goes by and I have to get "clearance" every time I want to make a bank transfer, I feel victimized. Every time I travel and receive the extra security checks because of my name it makes me trust my government less. What scares me even more is that I am an American citizen, and that is why I am not in jail. If I were not a citizen I could be one of the hundreds of detainees, or I could be in sitting in front of a secret military court only because the crime I am guilty of is that my name is Ali Ayub and not Joe Smith. ALI AYUB Arlington ˇ 2001 The Washington Post Company --end article-- --Tim May "If I'm going to reach out to the the Democrats then I need a third hand.There's no way I'm letting go of my wallet or my gun while they're around." --attribution uncertain, possibly Gunner, on Usenet