FC: Conservative Forum: Threat is not FBI, cops need crypto-access

[Declan McCullagh <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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