SamSaid!

CIVIL LIBERTIES

     Since the passage of the Patriot Act following the 9/11/01 attacks, the ACLU and other left wing groups have painted (or at least tried to paint) a grim picture of the loss of civil liberties, and have repeatedly urged that the Patriot Act be rescinded  –  at least, the parts of it that they find to be offensive to their concerns. Yesterday. I read an editorial opposing the notion of a Nationl ID card because such a card would be “infringing on individual rights and eroding liberties”.

     Two aspects of such an assertion bother me. First of all, there are  5-10 million people roaming around in the USA without any kind of proper Identification. We don't know who they are or what they are doing. As one citizen, I would feel much more comfortable if we would identify these people   –who they are, where they came from, what they are doing, etc etc. While we express concern over domestic security, these unidentified millions just sort of vanish into the crowd. If we have to accept limits on our “rights”, then so be it. Times have changed. So have priorities.

     The second item of concern is the ominous phrase, “infringing on individual rights and eroding liberties”. The people on the left like to use these kinds of terms — scare terms if you will  — and go no further. In thinking about “infringing on individual rights”, WHAT rights?  Or in “eroding liberties”, WHAT liberties? We never see a specific list or itemization of the rights or freedoms or liberties being threatened. Just the vague and generalized threat. And in the meantime, 5-10 million unidentified people still are at large in the USA.

     I take citizen rights very seriously, and limiting those rights is a very sensitive action to be taken by Big Brother government. But the mindlessness of left wing scare tactics presumes that the status quo is just fine, and all of the 5-10 million unidentified strangers loose in the USA are well intentioned. I have a hard time buying that.

    Before buying the party line of the ACLU et al, I want to know precisely what rights are  being infringed upon and what has been eroding  –  not just ominous vague threats without concrete support.