Froth'n'wroth

DC Circuit Rules Arrest Names Can Be Secret

In a statement, Attorney General John Ashcroft hailed the ruling and said, "We are pleased the court agreed we should not give terrorists a virtual road map to our investigation."

Ahem.

Fuck you, John Ashcroft. This is America, you fascist little prig. Damned skippy we give the terrorists a "road map to our investigation". It's called freedom, you snake-oil-salesman, and it dies behind closed doors. Who and where and how and why someone gets arrested, that's vital public information, and if you don't want it disclosed, don't arrest them.

Excuse me if I'm frothing at the mouth here, but, dammit, secret arrests are the stock-in-trade of dictators, not democracies. Democracy shackles the hands of government, and it is right that it do so, because only then can we be secure against the inevitable abuses of government.

Not one September 11th detainee has been charged with terrorism, so, guess what? Those arrests as a matter of justice cannot be subject to anti-terrorism restrictions in favor of "national security". 700 arrests and no terrorism charges? The "road map to our investigation" appears to lead our heads into our asses, not to magical anti-Qaeda-land. I can't quite imagine Osama Bin Laden chortling in glee over the strategic coup that is the revelation of the names of 700 guys who have nothing to do with terrorism.

You remember Osama Bin Laden, right? He's the guy who blew up the World Trade Center, not this Hussein chap. Not that we know where either of them is. That's where I'd maybe be focusing the investigation. And, sure, the guys we want to stop before they try something, they are most likely hiding among the crowds of immigration fugitives--well, except for American citizens like Jose Padilla, oops, there goes that premise--but that still doesn't mean you keep secret the immigration fugitives who aren't trying anything. A government of the people has no right to keep secrets from the people. National security is no reason for racist detention. Korematsu is an abomination of law.

Investigate the crime, not the person--unless they're a President you really, really get stupid about and you have a lot of money and media at your disposal. But don't get smug about "national security" and don't mouth off about your need for secrecy when you arrest 700 guys who overstayed their visas.

Fucking Washington schmendricks should have their asses impeached for anti-Constitutional activities.

Not that I feel strongly about this or anything.

Posted by Greg at June 17, 2003 3:30 PM