Freedoms Curtailed In Defense Of Liberty

[Tabla bin Rasa]

At 04:04 PM 10/10/01 -0500, Jim Choate wrote:
>Give up democracy to defend democracy...
>
>http://www.theonion.com/onion3736/freedoms_curtailed.html

Jesus Jim, this is good enough to infringe its copyright:

      WASHINGTON, DCResponding to the threats facing America's free
democratic system, White House officials called
upon Americans to stop exercising their democratic freedoms Monday.

      "In this time of national crisis, a time when our most cherished
freedoms are threatened, all Americansnot just outspoken talk-show
hosts like Bill Mahermust watch what they say," White House press
secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters. "Now more than ever, if we want
to
protect democracy for future generations, it is vital that nobody speak
out
about the issues of the day."

      "We must all do our patriotic duty to protect our country's great
ideals," Fleischer continued, "and we have to be careful about what
opinions we express if we are to defend our Constitution, a sacred
document behind which all Americans must stand united as one."

      Fleischer's sentiments echoed those of many executive-branch
officials, who, in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, have called for
broad-based limitations on civil libertiesand urged all patriotic,
freedom-loving citizens to support those restrictionsin defense of the
American way of life.

      "We live in a land governed by plurality of opinion in an open
electorate, but we are now under siege by adherents of a
fundamentalist, totalitarian belief system that tolerates no dissent,"
Attorney General John Ashcroft said. "Our most basic
American values are threatened by an enemy opposed to everything for
which our flag stands. That is why I call upon all
Americans to submit to wiretaps, e-mail monitoring, and racial
profiling. Now is not the time to allow simplistic, romantic
notions of 'civil liberties' and 'equal protection under the law' to get
in the way of our battle with the enemies of freedom."

      In the past, Ashcroft said, efforts by federal agencies to
restrict personal freedoms were "severely hampered" by such
factors as the judicial system, the Bill Of Rights, and "government by
the people." Since the attacks, however, some such
limitations have been waived, finally giving the CIA, FBI, Pentagon, and
White House the greater powers they need to defend
freedom.

      U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who advocated permitting the CIA to
engage in various illegal activities during a recent
Tonight Show With Jay Leno appearance, stressed the importance of not
merely submitting to freedom-curtailment policies,
but also blindly agreeing with them.

      "Now is not the time for such divisive, destructive things as
dialogue and debate," McCain said. "Now is not the time for,
'My opinion is just as valid as yours,' and 'What are my country's
leaders doing and why?' and 'I have a question, Mr.
President.' Now is the time for one thing and one thing only: The
defense of the American democratic ideal. Any and all who
disagree with this directive, or who have different ideas about how it
should be accomplished, should learn to shut their
mouths."

      As the U.S. prepares to mobilize forces against Afghanistan, the
military is seeking strong limitations on the press.
According to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, such a
Constitution-flouting move would not be unprecedented, citing the
suspension of habeas corpus in the Civil War and the order to round up
110,000 Japanese-Americans in detention camps
after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

      "Remember, under the oppressive Taliban regime, people live in
constant fear of an oppressive order to which all must
submit," Rumsfeld said. "Under their system, it is illegal to practice a
different religion or support a different political system. It is
against the law for women to work or leave their homes without their
faces covered. There is no freedom of speech, press, or
assembly, as dissent of any kind is not tolerated. It is even forbidden
to smile or laugh in public, and all who fail to
unquestioningly obey are punished with reprisals of brutal violence. We
must not allow such a regime to threaten our great
democracy. We must stand for something better than that."

      "It is therefore urgent," Rumsfeld continued, "that all Americans
be quiet, stop asking questions, accept the orders of
authorities, and let us get on with the important work of defending
liberty, so that America can continue to be a beacon of
freedom to all the world."