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Return to Article: Civil rights advocates protest FBI almanac warning

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  I am concerned about things such as this because I am a law abiding citizen. And you can go down the litany of obtuse tactics the administration espouses to generate fear in the public. I was brought up to think that freedom loving and law abiding citizens should always have a healthy fear of big brother gone overboard. This healthy fear is what leads to checks and balances in our society and system of governance. I think the worry that a good deal of people have today revolves around how much those checks and balances are subjugated to the White House.

  The argument about how other organizations or protestors would combat the "terrorists" is hollow. It's not their job. Just as it wasn't everyone's job in 50's to go out and turn in a commie. But when the witch trials got out of hand society did react. We called people communists then, today the word is terrorist. How we handle this threat says more to where we go as a society then many people realize.

  Kevin Van Kirk Posted January 23, 2004 11:59 AM
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  Ignorance has blown this way out of proportion. No legal authority has restricted people from reading almanacs. These people are losing focus on what the issue is really about. Nobody is trying to stop circulation of the almanac. Come on people, let's be real here! No one's freedom is being revoked and if you are a law abiding citizen than you should not be concerned.

  Jill Johnson Posted January 14, 2004 12:02 PM
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  Obviously, some people don't understand what this country is up against. Terrorists are not going to walk around with a terrorist tattoo on their foreheads. The FBI didn't say that anyone carrying an almanac was a terrorist. It is just another piece of the puzzle. Our local law enforcement officers need to have ANY information that may help them make informed decisions. Someone carrying an almanac in and of itself is not necessarily something to worry about. However, if you have someone carrying an almanac and other "red flags" then maybe something is not quite right. DAWN, the ACLU and these other organizations all are quick to scream foul when the government tries to do something about the potential of more attacks, but NONE of them offer any ideas how to protect the country in a manner in which they would approve.

  Trying to stop the next one Posted January 13, 2004 3:56 PM
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  The prior comment illustrates the easy with which some are willing to give up their freedom in the name of security! Why should the FBI or any agency of government be allowed to circumvent our private lives in the name of security? The fight for freedom is not only on the battle field but more imprtantly is on the home front. If citizens give up their individual freedom in the scare of security, then the lives lost on the field of battle are wasted. Freedom is not easy and while I agreee that DAWN may have better things to do, there is nothing more important than protecting our personal freedoms!

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 12, 2004 7:23 AM
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  What an interesting question. Allow the FBI to protect America to the best of its ability. And who defines protect or from whom? An administration who fights tooth and nail to deny due process to Ameican citizens accused of terrorism is not the right party to define "protect". Even those folks who blew up the federal building in Oklahoma had due process.

  As I recall all too well from my Holocaust studies, the SS/Gestapo was also protecting German Society to the best of its ability-- how far do you want to push giving the FBI carte blanche to protect society?

  We went down this road before--the FBI protecting America from that great scourge of Hollywood and New York Communists. Innocent Americans who lost everything in J. Edgar Hoover's witch hunt. We just don't learn from history.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 12, 2004 7:05 AM
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  After reading so many comments about the US VISIT program and this almanac article I am very sad- Ben Franklin would be very surprised.

  Not only did he publish that early almanac but I think he also wrote- those who give up liberty in the name of security deserve neither liberty nor security. What would Ben say about America in the 21st Century?

  I don't think the DAWN people have something better to do. The fact that the FBI refuses to release a memo regarding police warnings about people carrying almanacs is interesting. I'm sure they will be doubly careful when they go out with a memo warning the police to stop people carrying AAA travel books and triptics.

  All the paranoid people need to step back and ask--is this the society they want to leave for their children? Of course the paranoia and fear is so overwhlming the answer would be for these people that we are protecting our children. I wish those protesters luck and godspeed because they are climbing a very steep hill.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 12, 2004 6:57 AM
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  I am grateful we have people willing to get out there and speak up against this. There is a growing pattern here that is frightening.

  Hermann Goering, one of Hitler's henchman, said the following while incarcerated for his war crimes trial in Nuremberg, "...the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." After Hitler came to power legally and democratically, he slowly eroded the civil liberties of the people and through political muscle eliminated the members of the German Parliament that opposed him. He did this by inspiring fear so that people were willing to give up their freedom as the price of protection.

  Before you all flame me, let me state that I do not believe Bush is an "evil doer" like Hitler. I am not suggesting that the current administration is intentionally trying to create a fascist society. The point I am making is that history is littered with oppressive societies that were formed because people panicked and created the opportunity for oppressive rule. If we allow this to continue, where we will be in 5, 10, 15, 20 years? Imagine reading lists, curfews, controls on what you can print in a newspaper, where you can live or travel, who you can marry, what you can do with your money ... what kind of lawmakers and leaders will get elected down the rode in such a society ... taking back control of your life is never as easy as surrendering it.

  Will the war on terrorism be fought and won by traffic cops keeping an eye out for nervous types carrying almanacs? What is more likely, that the execution of this memo will bring al Qaeda to it's knees or that it will bring on more of the same such bulletins ... more laws ... more restrictions. In this case, the risks associated with the proverbial slippery slope greatly exceed the risk that a terrorist attack will not be thwarted because we didn't stop the jittery guy with an almanac.

  Lisa Wagner Posted January 9, 2004 5:53 PM
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  It is hard to understand why this group does not want the FBI to protect U.S. citizens to the best of its ability. While the almanac advisory could inconvenience some individuals, it is intended to help PREVENT another tragedy like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. I, for one, would much rather undergo some questioning than have law enforcement officials sitting on their hands for fear of offending someone while the next terrorist attack is being planned. The statements made by DAWN representatives are silly - I'm sure the group's energies could be put to better use elsewhere.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 9, 2004 9:21 AM
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  This protest is ridiculous, as is the warning. I hope the civil rights groups have much bigger fish to fry or they are saying that the civil rights movement is over! What happened in the south in the 1960's were demonstrations that achieved something - this current demonstration is an afront to that process!

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 9, 2004 6:49 AM