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[FYI] (Fwd) FC: Conservative Forum: Threat is not FBI, cops need crypto-access
- To: debate@lists.fitug.de
- Subject: [FYI] (Fwd) FC: Conservative Forum: Threat is not FBI, cops need crypto-access
- From: "Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>
- Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 21:27:32 +0200
- CC: krypto@thur.de
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 13:43:50 -0400
To: politech@politechbot.com
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject: FC: Conservative Forum: Threat is not FBI, cops need crypto-access
Send reply to: declan@well.com
[Norm works on privacy topics for Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a
libertarian- leaning kind of fellow. --DBM]
*******
From: "Singleton, Norman" <Norman.Singleton@mail.house.gov>
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 13:26:44 -0400
Friends, even some alleged "conservatives" are eagerly anticipating
sacrificing liberty for the illusion of security [...]
http://www.conservativereform.org/bullmoose/
Wednesday, September 19, 2001 (3:13 PM ET)
Bedfellows. The Moose is heartened by the national show of unity
against terrorism. But, beware of strange bedfellows.
The alliance of right and left wing flotsam and jetsam is nothing
new on the foreign policy front. We witnessed it during the Kosovo
conflict when noted hawks such as Lott and DeLay joined the "peace
now" crowd. With a direct attack on the American homeland,
dissident voices are muted but have not entirely disappeared.
The most bizarre example comes from Jerry Falwell and Pat
Robertson who suggested that the attack was God's wrath against a
nation that has sinned. This was a new theocratic right variant on
the "Blame American First" theme that used to be the purview of
the left. As was eloquently stated during the 2000 Republican
primaries, Robertson and Falwell are truly the "agents of
intolerance."
Meanwhile, a few timid left voices are suggesting that we must
look for "root causes" for the terrorist behavior. However, the
American people are not in a receptive audience for the root cause
crowd.
A more pernicious development is an emerging right-left alliance
against the ability of law enforcement to conduct domestic
surveillance of terrorists.
According to the Washington Post, groups ranging from the ACLU to
the Free Congress Foundation and the Gun Owners of America are
uniting to "declare their concerns that increased surveillance
initiatives would invade privacy." One conservative group called
the Coalition for Constitutional Liberties declared that, "our
most basic and fundamental freedoms are under attack unlike any
time since the Revolutionary Era."
The Moose would find this all so amusing if it weren't so sad.
Some on the right have long had the constitutional outlook of the
ACLU on issues ranging from soft money to the drug war.
Yes, there is a tremendous threat to our security, but it isn't
coming from the FBI! The unholy alliance of the right and the left
is not focused on stopping terrorists who threaten our very lives,
but rather on restraining law enforcement which seeks to protect
our safety. Privacy is fine, but at a time such as this, we must
guard our security first. This right-left coalition is just
another variant on the discredited liberal gang from the 60's
which sought to tie the hands of the police against criminals.
Make no mistake, there is a terrorist conspiracy operating within
the borders of the United States. According to testimony from a
federal official during congressional hearings last year, "As we
know, Middle East terrorist groups - such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and
Osama bin Laden's organization - are using computerized files,
email and encryption to support their organizations."
Some so-called conservatives have long opposed allowing law
enforcement to have encryption-busting powers. Evidently, the
largesse of the computer industry and other special interests can
be very influential. The Moose, however, makes no apologies for
desiring that the FBI has every tool available to thwart the
terrorist plans. Give Attorney General Ashcroft all he requests,
and more.
If this is war, it is time for both the left and the right to
choose sides.
[...]
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