My concern is not with the military personnel at work, but the Patriot Act which allows them to step on civil rights that are deemed normal and irreversible in any western democratic country of the 21st century.
While, as you seem to suggest, the author of this article might be lying through his teeth, we cannot dispute that some statements in there are quite valid - that these days, you can be held for a very long time without being charged with anything, with no contact with your lawyer or anyone else for that matter.
I find that alarming.
And as to the idea put forward here that this represents an excuse to barge into any restaurant in the country at whim, that's obviously ludicruous
If you look back at what I have actually written, you will see that I was talking about taking back the liberties & rights of individuals at the whim of the people on the ground - as in, locking them up without due process if they feel like it, if they looked suspicious, etc. I did not say they went into the restaurant for no real reason. Obviously I cannot know that, even if true, and I doubt it as you do.
At the end of the day, it is not really my problem how your civil liberties are curtailed, and your rights suspended. I am not American, and I do not live in the US. However, I am concerned about where the world is going to, as well as the well-being of my family & friends in the US. I have lived most of my life in the Middle East, and saw too many bloody body parts. I know how easy it is to lose all sanity when faced with random violence. My advice, for what it's worth, is to never let go of your civil liberties and rights, even if the state says it's for your own good.
Please note that I am not talking about "inconveniences" like being strip-searched because you look Middle-Eastern. Those are sacrifices you gladly bear for the benefit of your safety and that of your countrymen. I am talking about giving your state the right to detain you indefinitely, with no right to a lawyer, or even a formal charge. Locking you in a cell and throwing away the key, like the Man in the Iron Mask. |
