The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 09/21/2003 - 09/28/2003

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Who Are We Protecting ?

Recently, there has been a lot of clamoring over the Patriot Act and Attorney General John Ashcroft. The big complaints have been that the Patriot Act threatens our civil liberties. I say nonsense ! Name one person who was a law abiding citizen, minding their own business, who has had their liberties infringed upon by the Patriot act. So far no one can answer this challenge. Why Not ? Simple. Because no law abiding citizens liberties have been violated by the Patriot Act, that's why !

Recently, the Associated Press, released an article by David B. Caruso, Entitled Police, prosecutors applying the Patriot Act to non-terrorists. In the article there is a claim that the Patriot Act is being used against criminals who commit run-of-the mill crimes. Here's what Civil Liberty and Legal defense Groups apparently consider to be run-of-the mill crimes :

Federal Prosecutors, for example, used the Patriot Act in June to file charges against a California man for Terrorism Using Weapons of Mass Destruction for possessing and exploding a pipe bomb. Imagine that, all he possessed is a pipe bomb, which he probably manufactured himself, and after all it exploded in his lap, even though someone else was probably the intended target. How dare we charge him under the Patriot Act. My answer is: How Dare We Not ! It has teeth, this man was making pipe bombs, not fire crackers.

In North Carolina a man was charged with breaking a new state law barring the manufacture of chemical weapons. His run of the mill crime?, Operating a Methaamphetamine lab ! Under the Patriot Act, he could get 12 years versus 6 months. The prosecutor states that he is not abusing the Patriot act which defines chemical weapons of mass destruction as "any substance that is designed or has the ability to cause death or serious injury" and contains toxic chemicals. Illegal drug manufacturers beware ! About time too !

U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft states that Federal Prosecutors have brought 250 criminal charges under the law with 130 convictions so far. The Act was even used to recover 4.5 million after a group of telemarketers tricked the elderly into thinking they had won the Canadian Lottery ! Oh those poor telemarketers, how dare we recover the elderly's money, after all these scam artists have a right to make a living don't they ?

The list of the complainers shouldn't really surprise anyone who reads this column, Muslim and Civil Liberties groups, Liberal People for the America way Foundation, Democarts and Republicans (I'm sorry to say), and 150 local governments (mostly liberal areas).

Who are we trying to protect ?

The Patriot act is largely responsible for rooting out terrorist cells and suspected terrorists in this country. A fact that the leftist liberals leave out. Do I think that the Patriot Act and the Attorney General should be allowed to go unchecked ? Absolutely not. We need to keep an eye on things, but the criticism that the Act and the Attorney General are receiving are unfounded and uncalled for. We need to protect America, let's let our law enforcement officials have the necessary tools to deal with violent criminals. We can still keep a watchful eye out for possible abuses but hyped hysteria is not warranted or needed.