Mass. Gov. Romney suggests Wiretapping Mosques, Domestic Spying

[Bill Stewart]

Of course, had he suggested wiretapping Catholic churches
in Boston because there might be people raising funds
for terrorist groups like the IRA,
he'd have been run out of town on a rail.

Of course this month it's Protestants who are doing
the terrorism in Northern Ireland, and the IRA's gone
fairly quiet, but in the past it might have been effective.
Here in San Francisco nobody'd suggest tapping churches
except to find peace groups or immigrant support groups;
the bars on Geary street are where the IRA fundraisers go.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/09/15/wiretap_mosques_romney_suggests/?page=full

WASHINGTON -- Governor Mitt Romney raised the prospect of
wiretapping mosques and conducting surveillance of
foreign students in Massachusetts,
as he issued a broad call yesterday for the federal government
to devote far more money and attention to domestic intelligence gathering.

In remarks that caused alarm among civil libertarians and
advocates for immigrants rights,
Romney said in a speech to the Heritage Foundation
that the United States needs to radically rethink
how it guards itself against terrorism.

... As he ponders a potential run for president in 2008,
Romney has positioned himself as a homeland security expert: ....