Feb. 22, 2002 - 19:49 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

The Sky Is Falling

Patriot Act. Sheesh, Mom, apple pie and the flag. It might be an acronym for some high flown blather, I don't know, but it does set my fire alarms ringing.

I am still gagging over the power that the administration is grabbing for and the attitude that, "If we want it to be secret, "IT SHALL BE ! ! ! !"

I am not alone, one of the latest columnist entries is that of Maureen Dowd of The New York Times called "The Office Of Strategic Lying," which is one of the best I have seen yet. Tongue in cheek she is a pin sticking in the side of the balloony administration. I won't even attempt to do any quotes, it would just mess up what she has already said so perfectly in the first place.

Recently Nat Hentoff weighed in, I quoted a few words of his related to the fear that our freedom speech is in great danger, gag orders and such.

The Office Of Strategic Influence - the permission, to bluntly put it, tell lies accessible to the media of all countries is under discussion now and to my way of thinking it should be, and to my way of thinking should be deep sixed. The knowledge by the world that our country is goin to be lying at will, any time for any reason governed by the administration. Just like what has historically happened in the past to other peoples. Will, I think create even more distrust of our country than is already there.

There is a bit of back-pedaling now. "Secretary Of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, while broadly supportive of the new office, has not approved of its specific proposals, and has asked the Pentagon's top lwyer, Willim J. Haynes, to review then, senior Pentagon officials said."

Now there is an item, headed, "Telling Lies Not In Plans, Defense Officials say," by Robert Burns of the Associated Press. In it he says, "Pentagon is denying that the new office will spread disinformatin (lies - - my interpretation) through media outlets," and he says more.

Recently it seems that the FBI and Ascroft now have the ability to do anything they want to, keep it secret, gag everyone that does know anything. Now we even have an office that if allowed to go into effect will permit those in power to lie, lie, lie.

Oh, far be it from me to say that Bush and Company will EVER do anything wrong with the power they are striving for - - - - - but if misapplied by later administrations could make us a nation of slaves, similar to the way the Russians were, the Germans were. The framework for a dictatorship will be in place. Diplomacy could run amok -- probably somewhat like the Iraqui diplomat who was in Washington, who lied through his teeth and all the world knew it.

Each day passing seems to bring another proposed encroachment on our freedoms. Call me Chicken Little, but maybe this time, The Sky Is Falling . . . . . . . .

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