by James Glaser
June 3, 2002

I have always been proud to be an American and have really felt safe here. September 11 didn't make me worry about my personal safety nor fear of our getting attacked by another country. However those in Washington are starting to scare me.

Our Constitution and Bill of Rights have always made Americans feel that their government would have to allow the citizens of this country to live in freedom. Laws were made to protect that freedom and everyone elected to office in this nation swore to uphold that Constitution and that Bill of Rights.

That was true until this current George Bush became President. Now we have a government living in fear of terrorists. A government that is willing to feed that fear to the people of this land in order to circumvent those principals that have kept us free for so long.

"To the families and victims of September 11th-on behalf of (FBI Special Agents) John Vincent, Barry Carmody, and myself - we're sorry," said FBI Agent Robert Wright Jr. Agent Wright was telling those that suffered losses in the September attack that our government messed up and the attack on America should have been stopped.

This scares me when FBI agents say things like this. "Knowing what I Know, I can confidently say that until the investigative responsibilities for terrorism are transferred from the FBI, I will not feel safe." A Special Agent for the FBI said that.

Now the Justice Department and Attorney General John Ashcroft are saying that this same FBI, needs more power to investigate American citizens. This same FBI wants the powers restored, that were taken away from them during the Ford Administration because they abused that power.

Overturning domestic security guidelines that were put in place to preserve the civil liberties of all Americans and to stop investigative abuses by the FBI, will be a return to government terrorism.

Many younger Americans can not remember when our government engaged in spying against Americans who were critical of the government. This new move in that direction is facilitated by the fear inspired by that same Justice Department and that same FBI, with their repeated warnings of terrorists attacks. Attacks that will be from suicide bombers or nuclear weapons or just maybe terrorists in scuba equipment

This Administration will feed that fear of attack however it can in order to get the power it thinks it needs to control America. This current American Government is willing to throw away the laws that have protected individual citizens through two world wars. Over two hundred and twenty five years of history, and literally thousands of Americans that have voiced their personal opposition to the policies of their Government.

This George Bush Administration wants to stop all Americans from voicing their opinion. And that scares me.