"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Happy Dog wrote:

I agree, unfortunately, our misguided civil rights activists think that
profiling is illegal, even though it would be much more effective and
would spare the grannies of the world ... until a granny attempts to
bring a bomb onto an airplane.

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3828

The Security Pretext: An Examination of the Growth of Federal Police
Agencies
by Melanie Scarborough

Melanie Scarborough writes a monthly column for the Washington Post.


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Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, bureaucrats and special
interest groups have been busy repackaging everything from peanut subsidies
to steel protectionism under the rubric of "national security." Federal law
enforcement agencies have also been expanding their power in the name of
combating terrorism, whether or not such expansion has anything to do with
enhancing security. One safeguard that exists to prevent such abuse is
congressional oversight, but too many members of Congress are too often
reluctant to challenge law enforcement officials.

For freedom to prevail in the age of terrorism, three things are essential.
First, government officials must take a sober look at the potential risk and
recognize that there is no reason to panic and act rashly.

Second, Congress must stop federal police agencies from acting arbitrarily.
Before imposing costly and restrictive security measures that inconvenience
thousands of people, police agencies ought to be required to produce
cost-benefit analyses.

Third, government officials must demonstrate courage rather than give in to
their fears. Radical Islamic terrorists are not the first enemy that America
has faced. British troops burned the White House in 1814, the Japanese navy
launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Soviet Union deployed
hundreds of nuclear missiles that targeted American cities. If policymakers
are serious about defending our freedom and our way of life, they must wage
this war without discarding our traditional constitutional framework of
limited government.


Full Text of Briefing Papers no. 94 (PDF, 163 KB)