Jefferson Corner

**Original Post: 9 June 2005

The US Senate, that great bastion of power, where lobbyist roam the great halls of the people and dictates the laws of this country, met in secrete session and voted on the new provisions of the Patriot Act. The new provisions give that other great police institution of this country, once run by the infamous J. Edgar Hoover for over 40 years. Lady J, ran it with an iron fist for his/her person and his/her personal agenda, making sure agents, where “straight as an arrow” while he/she was parading in a skirts and women handbags. The same man, oh, sorry Lady J, terrified so many sitting presidents and terrified the nation, using the hunt for communism as the agenda to control the nation, and no one dared to question him/her. That same institution now has power that went beyond the dreams of Lady J.
Under the new provisions of the Patriot Act, the FBI can issue orders; warrant for arrest, seizures, monitor and wire tap any and every one. Well, not really every one, but mostly Arabs and Muslims of this country, and can get all kind of information, including medical records and how many times couples have intercourse, and books checked out of the library. All of this power and more even if the person the FBI is after did not or is not suspected of doing any thing illegal or criminal, or have any connection with any foreign power or group. All that and more without the benefits of an independent federal judge to look at the evidence or pass a judgment on the request of the FBI.
Well, of course, we need to keep in mind that this great institution of ours have within its ranks and for so many years, spies and traitors who were responsible for policing others and protecting the nation.
Well, the question is does the nation trust the FBI to do all that, and have all of the powers without the danger of abusing such powers? Of course not!
Without any checks and balances, no police or security institution could ever be entrusted with the security of the nation and with the rights of citizens without an independent supervision of the judiciary, the only independent branch of the government we have, that is not subject to the dictates of lobbyist and people like Tom Delay, who if has it his way, federal judges will be at the whims of special interest groups, and even in danger for their lives. We only need to look at the Gestapo or Hitler’s Germany or the Stassi of East Germany or the KGP of the former Soviet Union and to the Savak of the late Shah of Iran, to know that such institutions with raw powers not only failed to protect the nations, they contributed to their demise. We only hope this will not be the case with the FBI.
Terrorism and the fear of terrorism is a big business and federal agencies asking and are getting hundreds of billions of precious tax dollars only to give it away to greedy and incompetent federal contractors who think they are providing the nation with added security, when in fact the citizens feel other wise and they are filling the pockets of their shareholders and executives.
I am not going to go to the intended victims, suspects and targets of the Patriot Act, the Arabs and Muslims. I will not be surprised if I walk up one night on the sound of someone knocking on my door at 4 am in the morning and asking me why do I shop at Safeway and not at Giant, and why do I buy smoked turkey and not roast beef. We should not be surprised if these things happen. Every thing we buy or a book we check out, or a restaurants we go out to, or food we eat, or music we listen to, we must first think what interest will the FBI have in such activities. Of course, we like the rest of the nation, it is our country and we care for it as any one else, perhaps more, we chose to be here.

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**Original Post: 28 Sept 2005

Two major stories that hit the freedom of speech and information in the heart. One is the jailing of award winning journalist Judith Miller of the New York Times for failing to disclose here sources, and the other the jailing of Al-Jazeera investigative journalist Taiseer Allouni for 7 years by Spain.
Ms. Miller has been sitting in Alexandria jail for more than 3 months with no end in sight as to how far the government will go toward prosecuting journalist as they risk every thing in search of the truth.
The jailing of Mr. Alouni arises out of interviews with that the number one terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. Of course Taiseer was jailed for his investigative journalism while other Western journalist who have done the same where never brought to trial. Of course the US jailed Ms. Miller, while Spain jailed Mr. Alouni.
More troublesome are the news from Beirut, where a car bomb severely injured TV journalist Ms. May Shidiaq. This comes soon after the car bomb murder of journalist Samir Qassir. It seems that the word is out, to get the entire journalist who are out to get the truth.
In a country like the US where the government is always part of the cover-up, we do need journalist who are dedicated to the truth to go where no politician dare to go, to the truth, even if the truth is hard to stomach. We need more of those journalist, that those on TV who makes millions of dollars shouting at themselves, shouting as their guests and shouting when they hear something that does not fit with their point of views. Of course the TV and airways are always full of these pseudo journalist, some of whom are an insult to the American intelligence. We need more of Ms. Miller and we need more of Taiseer Alouni, Samir Qassir and May Shidiaq.
We may not agree with the truth they bring out, but we must admire them for going where we as citizens could not go.
It is too bad that many journalists have been killed over the last year covering armed conflict all over the world. Some journalist, like those killed in Iraq where perhaps targeted killing design to intimidate journalist who reports on the mess we made out of Iraq. They were not the pretty boys and girls “impeded” with the US military. This of course was the first time the use of the word” impeded” applied to journalist. One would think that what we need is independent journalist who bring us the good, the bad and ugly about our wars. Journalist like David Halberstram, Dan Rather, Tom Brokow, Peter Jennings, Edward R. Morrow, Eric Severid and that dean of all, Mr. Walter Cronkite.
If any one take people like Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbo as serious journalist, one need to take an introductory to journalism or buy one of those short books “journalism for dummies” from Safeway. There are journalists and then there are those who claim they are journalist who could not stand on their own without being fed by assistants and public relation staff.
I salute Mr. Miller and Mr. Alouni and I mourn Mr. Qassir and wish Ms. Shidiaq quick and speedy recovery. No one, no one should be jailed or killed for their opinion or because they are searching the truth.

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