He is a threat to safety in exchange for liberty.
[url]www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2001/tst121001.htm[/url]
Terrorism and the Expansion of Federal Power
The events of September 11th understandably made Americans far more
concerned about their safety here at home. All of us want action
taken to diminish the threat of future terrorist attacks, and
President Bush is doing a very good job of pursuing bin Laden and his
cohorts overseas. The proper focus should be on identifying those
responsible and using limited military force to bring them to
justice. We should arrest or kill the perpetrators abroad, use our
armed forces more wisely to defend our borders, and reform
immigration laws to keep terrorists out.
[b]Unfortunately, the focus in Congress seems to be on a domestic agenda
that will adversely affect millions of ordinary Americans without
making us any safer. An example can be found in a Customs Service
bill slated for a vote in the House this week. This bill gives
customs and postal agents new authority to open and inspect outgoing
U.S. mail without probable cause or a warrant.[/b] I don't think many
Americans are comfortable with having federal agents open and search
the mail they send! Of course it's easier to pass such a measure when
the public is in a fearful mood and demanding action. Ten or twenty
years from now, when the recent attacks are a distant memory, federal
agents will still be opening mail- mail sent by American citizens,
not terrorists.
Americans face an internal threat every bit as dangerous as foreign
terrorists: the loss of domestic freedoms. Every 20th century crisis-
two great wars and a decade-long economic depression- led to rapid
expansions of the federal government. The cycle is always the same,
with temporary crises used to justify permanent new laws, agencies,
and programs.
The cycle is repeating itself. Congress has been scrambling to pass
new legislation (and spend billions of your tax dollars) since
September. Most of the news laws passed and dollars spent have
nothing to do with defending our borders and cities against terrorist
attacks. I have already written and spoken at length concerning the
dangers to our civil liberties posed by the rush to pass new laws. I
do not believe that our Constitution permits federal agents to
monitor phones, mail, or computers without a warrant. I do not
believe that government should eavesdrop on confidential
conversations between attorneys and clients. I certainly do not
believe "terrorism" should be defined so broadly that American
citizens expressing dissent against their own government could be
investigated and prosecuted as terrorists.
Remember, President Bush will not be in office forever. History
demonstrates that the powers we give the federal government today
will remain in place indefinitely. How comfortable are you that
future Presidents won't abuse those powers? Politically-motivated IRS
audits and FBI investigations have been used by past administrations
to destroy political enemies. It's certainly possible that future
executives could use their new surveillance powers in similarly
unethical ways. The bottom line is that every American should be very
concerned about the unintended consequences of policies promoted to
fight an unending, amorphous battle against terrorism.