Sept. 13, 2002 - 10:55 PDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Now What ?

Alexander Cockburn of Creator's Syndicate in his column today in the Eugene, Oregon - Register Guard talks about Rumsfeld and his issuing statements he attributes to Rumsfeld. "Rumsfeld has humiliated Powell, reaching a peak in effrontery when a few weeks ago, he contradicted decades worth of formal U. S. foreign policy and declared that Israel had every right and every reason to occupy the West Bank and have settlements there." Looks to me as if we have another loose cannon on board rolling around simultaneously in all directions. Anybody get the idea that they are trying to sell a war ?

Mr. Cockburn goes on to mention some things that bother me too. "The specter of military government here in the United Statees lurks eternally in the imagination of fearful constitutionalists, right or left. There's a lot more reason for these fears today, particularly after the Patriot Act shot through Congress. He goes on the mention a few things.

"The FBI can spy on political and religious meetings even when there's no suspicion that a crime has been committed. Dissidents can be labeled "domestic terrorists" and be the target of every form of snooping." So, if I should disappear there is a possibility that this dissident has been labelled as a "domestic terrorist," and spirited away somewhere. The Patriot Act permits 'black bag' searches for every sort of record that might give information about people suspected of terrorism. The books they get out of a library. Then at home they can confiscate and not return computers and personal papers -- even if an indictment is never lodged against the suspect. And those searcehs can happoen even in situations when suspected terrorism is not in the picture.

Then again is mentioned the ablility of the Justice Department to put people behind bars if they have been disignated "enemy combatants" and held incommunicado and denied counsel. If the detainee gets a lawyer their conversation can be bugged.

Mr. Cockburn says, "In such manner we are saying goodbye to the First, Fourth and Sixth Amendments."

He says that, "Back to Rumsfeld. The Defense Secretary is currently trying to get the Pentagon greater authority to carry out covert ops. He also wants Congress to agree to have a new undersecretary ofdefense, responsible for all intelligence matters."

"Now blend these porposals in with erosions of the Posse Comitatus Act, which forbids the U. D. military to have any role in domestic law enforcement. Shake the blender vigorously, and you have the Rumsfeld cocktail, with an Ashcroft cherry. A defense under-secretary may soon be able to target you ( or the anti-war couple in the apartment next door) bug your phone and computer, burglarize the p lace, grab you, stick you in prison and let you rot." "All legally (ALL LEGALLY my caps) That's what we call military government, the way we teach the Latin American officers mustered for training at Fort Benning to doi things in their countries. Remember there is a strong lobby here for torture, too."

He goes on to talk about people who are doing prison time because they peacefully engaged in non-violent demonstration against the School Of The Americas, trying to get Fort Benning closed.

Even if there is the faintest possiblilty that those in power now have motives of doing the best for our country -- those are the laws -- regardless of who is next in office. Any dingbat bureaucrat can point the finger of suspicion at anyone he is told to designate. Bingo - he, she or it disappears. Just like in South America - just like it was in Nazi Germany. After all, didn't the Nazis think they were doing the best for their country ? The potential for abuse and misapplication is I think much too great.

There seems to be something going on in Florida today. Somebody said something about hearing talk in a diner or some such place and felt they might be terrorists. Took down their license number and phoned it in. Last I saw was beaucoup cars, cops, news folk by the bushel. If those folk are innocent I do hope they can sue. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Now What ? . . . . . . . . . . .

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