Frontiersman, May 2003

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Frontiersman, May 2003

U.S. Government Planning A Patriot Attack — Against America
Geoffrey Neale
With public attention riveted on the war in Iraq, politicians may be planning to launch a sneak attack against the American people.
Their weapon: Patriot II, a piece of legislation that would give the government frightening new powers, including the ability to make secret arrests, issue secret subpoenas, create a vast new DNA database and even strip Americans of their citizenship and deport them.
Formally called The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 (DSEA), Patriot II has been shrouded in secrecy, prompting civil liberties groups to fear the government has been waiting for an opportunity — such as war or another terrorist attack — to rush it through Congress.
That's exactly what happened with the USA Patriot Act, which passed the House and Senate with lightning speed just six weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Now with U.S. troops in Iraq, history may be about to repeat itself.
Patriot II was drafted in secret earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Justice. When rumors of its existence started swirling around Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft denied it. When a leaked draft was published on the web page of the nonpartisan Center for the Public Interest on February 7, the Justice Department refused to comment.
But when the bombs began to fall on Baghdad in late March, Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo finally confirmed that such a measure would be introduced soon.
Simply put, this legislation would destroy some of the legal protections that make America different from totalitarian states like Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
For example, Patriot II would allow the government to arrest and detain people in secret, paving the way for the midnight knock on the door that terrorizes the population in police states. In such countries, relatives never know what's happened to their loved ones — and police don't have to explain. There's no need to file charges, present evidence, or even hold a trial.
Think such a thing could never happen in America? It already has. Dozens of individuals rounded up during the 9/11 investigations are still being held without charges and without the right to see an attorney.
This secret detention provision was created to circumvent a federal court decision requiring the Justice Department to identify those 9/11 detainees.
Under this legislation, prosecutors could also issue secret subpoenas, and jail people who reveal to anyone except their attorney that they have received one. Since most people who receive subpoenas are not criminal suspects, this amounts to letting the government conduct mass, secret interrogations of innocent people, then jailing them if they tell anyone what's happened.
Secret arrests, secret evidence, secret subpoenas — haven't thousands of American soldiers died fighting this kind of government?
Even one of the most cherished rights in America — the right of citizenship — is targeted under this bill. Patriot II empowers the Justice Department to strip citizenship from Americans who associate with a group designated as a "terrorist organization," even if they've done nothing illegal. Individuals who contribute money to such a group, perhaps unwittingly, or attend the "wrong" political rally could lose their citizenship — and thus become easier to prosecute and/or deport.
Imagine this scenario: Two years from now, a violent individual blows up an abortion clinic. President Hillary Clinton responds by labeling Operation Rescue, and a number of other conservative Christian groups, "domestic terrorist groups." She orders everyone who has ever

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May 2003

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contributed to one of these organizations or attended a meeting rounded up, stripped of their citizenship and deported.

Or this: A radical environmentalist attacks an oil tanker, and President John Ashcroft responds with similar tactics against Greenpeace or the Sierra Club. He denounces them as domestic terrorist organizations, freezes their bank accounts and starts arresting their members.

Couldn't happen in America? It already has happened — to several non-citizens arrested during the 9/11 investigation. But if Patriot II is approved, it could start happening to citizens as well.

Other provisions of this legislation are just as chilling. For example, the government could create a database of DNA collected not just from suspected terrorists, but from non-citizens suspected of ordinary crimes, such as burglary and assault.

In direct violation of the Fourth Amendment, prosecutors could conduct a wiretap for 15 days without a judge's approval, and monitor an individual's Internet behavior for two days without a warrant.

The attorney general could deport any foreigner, even a permanent legal resident, by deeming their presence "inconsistent with national security."

Local police departments could resume spying on political protesters, because the legislation overturns court decrees prohibiting such surveillance.

Simply put, Patriot II would make America less of a free country — and there's nothing patriotic about that.

Geoffrey Neale is national chair of the Washington, DC-based Libertarian Party.

Questions or other replies to this article should be directed to PressReleases@hq.LP.org.

The Libertarian Party website:
http://www.LP.org

The URL to this article posted on the Libertarian Party website is:
http://www.lp.org/press/op-eds.php?function=view&record=34

Libertarian Party Contact Information:

THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY

2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100

Washington DC 20037

Two old friends of mine — a Jewish couple in their 80s, both retired university professors who fled Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and eventually became U.S. citizens — made a stunning remark to me a few months ago: "You know, all our lives we have blamed our parents and our parents' generation for allowing Hitler to gain control. Now we're beginning to see how powerless they must have felt to stop what was happening all around them."

— from It Can't Happen Here — Or Can It?
Richard L. Clinton
The Oregonian, Tuesday, April 8, 2003

Stray Thoughts
Sam Aurelius Milam III
Ownership — I saw a news item recently about a local ordinance prohibiting the declawing of cats. I don't remember the name of the town. It was somewhere in California. The news report presented views expressed by several people. Some supported the law, because they wanted to protect the cats. Some opposed the law because they wanted to protect the furniture. Cats? Furniture? Does anybody want to protect the principle of ownership?
Who is the owner of a cat? If a town can dictate the treatment of cats, then the town is the owner. In that case, the people don't own the cats. They just take care of them for the real owner, the party that can dictate the treatment of the cats, the town.

Notice
The April issue of this newsletter almost didn't get published, due to a lack of funds. It was saved by a last-minute contribution from Lady Helen the Gracious. That contribution will also pay for this issue. At this time, I need total contributions of $50, which I don't have, for the June issue.

— editor

An Alternative
Sam Aurelius Milam III
I'm still seeking someplace else to live. However, a substantial amount has recently been pledged for the acquisition of land, suggesting an alternative to donated accommodations. The amount pledged isn't sufficient, by itself, but it's a good start. I'd be happy to hear from people who are interested in making additional such pledges or contributions. I'm extremely grateful for what has been pledged so far. With my own land, I'd be able to continue my work.

May 2003
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Letters to the Editor
This message was in response to my article "Personally Responsible", last month.

— editor

Hi Sam,

... My hunch is that most of the young people who have joined the military did not research and think it through all that clearly. Most 18-20 year olds I know are a lot like I was at that age, more interested in the benefits than the responsibilities and not too practiced in critical thinking. So I would assume there is a lot of waking up going on over there for the bulk of our service men and women. One of the quotes I appreciate is from Victor Hugo "If a soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness." For me I see Bush & company & their sponsors, our Congress, the Opportunistic Media, and corporate America at the head of the class in causing darkness around this war. For me, it does not mean that the person who is left in the darkness, i.e. is ordered and does pull the trigger, is off the hook. He/she will have to live with the consequences of their actions (though committed in ignorance, still they are acts of soul transgression that scar them mentally/emotionally, psychically as well as physically) and sort it out with help if he/she is ever to have any peace. We have seen a lot of that in Vietnam Vets, many of whom committed suicide, lost their way or had to do hard and long therapy and personal work to find their way back. And those that are killed by these acts? We as a society owe them a great debt and responsibility to help make the loss of their lives have meaning as to constructive changes in society.

— Reverend W. Dale Blackford
strong4man@earthlink.net

You have correctly perceived that the soldiers were ignorant. I refuse to concede that their ignorance excused them from responsibility for what they did. They weren't just playing ping pong. They were killing people. Before they did that, they had an obligation to educate themselves. I'm also disgusted at the praise heaped upon them by many observers for their restraint, since they didn't kill as many people as they might have. If somebody broke into a school and killed the kids but not the teachers, would we praise him for his restraint for not killing the teachers? Nonsense. Those soldiers are guilty every time they kill somebody.

The ignorance of the soldiers leads to another point. Why should they have to educate themselves? They just finished a twelve year course in the schools. Why didn't they learn, there, about international law, the principles of liberty, and the dismal recent history of their nation? They came out of the schools ignorant. They went into the military ignorant. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that both the schools and the military are government institutions. The schools keep them ignorant so the military can more easily abuse them.

— editor

The next letter was hand-written. A few words were difficult to decipher. I hope that I got them right. If not, I apologize.

— editor

Sam

Just got Apr '03. As usual, we are not in total agreement, but on track for the most part. First of all regarding "Personally Responsible", I do agree in part. Malice, or ignorance, it makes no difference, like you said. However since they seem to think that Iraq is partially responsible for 9-11 I say get 'em. ["Seem to think" doesn't justify killing people. There must be proof. — editor] Mind you, if we had kept our noses out of the mid-east to begin with & let the Jews fight their own fight, this wouldn't have even happened. But since it happened, we need to handle it. Here in prison if I were to let someone just hit me & not do anything about it, I would be a punk. A punk gets treated like a punk no matter how big he is until he stands up & acts like a man. Then he is treated with respect. Do you remember the WTC bombing in the early 90's? or how about the numerous other terrorist attacks? Right, wrong, or indifferent, a punk is a punk. Period. America is full of punks. They need to stop crying things like "What about the children?" or "Those poor innocent refugees." What they need to do is stand up and do something about it. King George's reasons may not be the purest, but at least he is doing something about it. He is still a big fuck wipe, mind

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you, but he is not just standing by and letting us get punked out. Granted, we have been interfering with their affairs since 1946 when we told them to let the Jews have their ground. But when dealing with predators, one has to be strong, if not a predator himself. In short I don't believe for a second that we are over there to get chemical weapons out of there. We shouldn't be over there to begin with, but since we are over there we need to acquire some new oil wells, & show the world that we do, in fact, have some balls. [That's like breaking into somebody's house in the middle of the night and then deciding, heck, since I'm here anyway, I guess it's OK to go ahead and steal something. — editor] I don't want history to remember us like it does the French in WW2. [France was invaded by Germany. We were not invaded by Iraq. — editor]

Miss Kitty Hawk was an interesting situation. Simple, but interesting. If she wanted it, leave them be. If she didn't, he is a rapist and should be allowed to swim home. [I contend that seduction is every bit as coercive as rape and more likely to be premeditated. Maybe she should swim home. Regarding rape, see my article "Dark Reflections", March 1996. — editor]

So was Title of Nobility. Why should I be taxed again to drive on a road that my income taxes pay for? Or do they? Hmmm. [I'm not objecting to a driver's license on the basis of taxation. I'm objecting to it on the basis of access to privilege. —editor]

On to the Augusta National Golf Club. Very simple. Why would someone want to be in a clique that obviously doesn't want them? Malice is the only reason that I can think of. There are girl clubs, black clubs, Mexican clubs, etc. Let a white male try that & he is guaranteed a lawsuit that he will lose. More of that freedom & justice, huh?

Hydrogen Power was also interesting. Hydrogen releases a great deal of energy when burned. Just ask anyone who was aboard the Hindenburg. Electricity is used to separate Hydrogen & Oxygen from water, which is burned. H & O are used together as a rocket fuel. I don't deny that it takes energy to make energy but even if it does lose a little, surely clean water for exhaust is better than the other things that petroleum releases. One power plant to produce power to release H & O from water for cars is surely better than one power plant & 10,000 cars. At least to the atmosphere.

The two weapon articles were pretty good, also. To hell with Lebanon. [I was trying to be funny. Maybe it didn't work. — editor] Let them worry about the chemical & bio weapons that Saddam may or may not have. If something doesn't effect us, we need to stay out of it. If something does effect us, like 9-11, we need to kill the offending party. [I disagree. Every time we kill an offending party, we create 10 more of them. After 9-11, I advocated that Colin Powell should go talk to Osama bin Laden, to find out why they were mad at us. I still think I was right. — editor] I can guarantee that if a person & I have a disagreement & I kill him over it, he will NEVER disagree with me again. [I just disagreed with you. Should I fear for my life? — editor]

On to Iraq. I have been saying that we should let the people over there worry about their own dictator, and we ours for quite some time. That is what pissed me off about 9-11. I am an American citizen. Damn proud to be one. [U.S. citizen. There's no such thing as an American citizen. — editor] This is MY government. Not theirs. Me & my people will decide when & if it should be overthrown, & how. Not some bastard who doesn't even have a green card. [I hope you won't take this too hard, but I'm completely undocumented — not even a green card. — editor] They effected us, we need to kill them for it. Period. [Question mark. — editor]

Well, I guess that's all of it. I hope all of this makes it into print so some nit-wit in California can say that I'm a nut-job, or like the last one, that I want attention. You may send him my address here, or better yet publish it so he can give me the attention that I apparently so deeply and ardently need. Seeya Sam.

— Brian

I'll provide his address upon request.

— editor

Dear Sir,

I am an indigent prisoner in Colorado, 23 years old. By chance I came across the April '03 issue of 'Frontiersman' and it seems to me you have some intelligent things to say and a more enlightened point of view. The sarcasm is great too.

If you can afford it, I'd love to receive your newsletter as my young mind is always hungry for input that is not contrived, artificial crap manufactured for unthinking masses.

I feel I am more or less sensitive to your intent (by the production of Frontiersman) and sympathize greatly.

Respectfully,

— [a new subscriber]

May 2003
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Time Out
James Sullivan

Time, judging by how politicians spend it, is the least valuable asset humans have. Elected officials, obviously, have all the time in the world to do their congressional jobs: consider pending legislation, appear for roll call votes, attend several committee meetings, visit home districts, and talk with constituents. And these politicians also have enough time left over to go out and raise ever more campaign contributions.

Those duties, except for the last mentioned, apparently take up very little of a politician's day. More precisely, senators and representatives devote few hours to those duties. "I wasn't voted in," an elected official might say if confronted, "for all those menial activities. My staff can take care of most of it. I was put in office to spend as much of my time as possible away from Washington DC raising campaign contributions so that I can remain in office in Washington DC indefinitely."

Consequently, politicians are out there raising funds virtually every day of the week, including the Sabbath, not only in their own districts or states but, increasingly, around the nation.

With little wit, and even less pizzazz, these people unashamedly ask for and sometimes beg for money to finance their elections.

These representatives of the people are using time wisely in mixing and mingling with heavy contributors. And why? Because candidates for elective office must compete with opponents who are building enormous war chests. It's not unlike the chicken or the egg argument. But in the politician's case, there's no yolk involved.

Where will this all end? No one knows or cares. Certainly, neither the politicians nor the public is concerned. If they were, they'd be doing something about it. And no one is. Sure, a campaign finance reform bill was recently enacted into law. But don't worry, much of it will be struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. They've prepared the way by saying that campaign contributions are a form of free speech.

Let's face it. Time is a renewable commodity. There's always later, tomorrow, and the day after. Americans, therefore, can't possibly be hurt in any way when elected officials devote most of their time to money grubbing. After all, the more days they're away from the nation's capital, the less likely these people can do Americans any more damage than has already been done!

A White Man's Notes
Sam Aurelius Milam III

On April 17, 2003, the NewsHour presented a news segment called Focus: Women Warriors. Women in the military were interviewed not because they were in the military, but because they were women. Now, I'd like to see a NewsHour segment called Focus: Men Warriors, where men in the military are interviewed not because they are in the military, but because they are men. Would that seem sexist? Why wasn't it sexist when it was about the women?

On Tuesday, April 15, 2003, NBC aired a two-hour special called Museum of TV and Radio Special: Great Women of TV Comedy. The performers weren't featured because they were comedians, but because they were women. Now, I'd like to see a two-hour special called Museum of TV and Radio Special: Great Men of TV Comedy, in which the performers are featured not because they're comedians, but because they're men. Does that seem sexist? Why wasn't it sexist when women were featured?

The Bigger, The Dumber
Original Source Unknown. Forwarded by Sir John the Generous.

A mother and father took their 6 year old son to a nude beach. As the boy walked along the beach, he noticed that some of the ladies had boobs bigger than his mother's, and asked her why. She told her son, "The bigger they are the dumber the person is."

The boy, pleased with the answer, went to play in the ocean but returned to tell his mother that many of the men had larger penises than his dad. His mother replied, "The bigger they are the dumber the person is."

Again satisfied with this answer, the boy returned to the ocean to play. Shortly after, the boy was back again. He promptly told his mother, "Daddy is talking to the dumbest girl on the beach and the longer he talks, the dumber he gets."

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Frontiersman
479 E. 700 N.
Firth, Idaho 83236

The U.S. government
is an
enemy of liberty.

Lady Helen the Gracious

One of my most generous supporters, Lady Helen the Gracious, died on Friday, April 11, 2003. Her contributions were too numerous to mention but she always contributed when there was a need, even if it was a hardship for her. Shortly before she died, she answered my request for funding for the April issue of this newsletter with sufficient funds to publish that issue as well as this one. I hope that, while she was alive, I made her sufficiently aware of my gratitude.

— editor

Acknowledgments
My thanks to the following: Lady Helen the Gracious, Lady Shirley the Benevolent, Sir James the Bold, and Sir John the Generous.

— editor

Buck Hunter Shoots Off His Mouth
Dear Buck
I work with a guy who's so insolent that nobody can stand to be around him. Why would anybody be that way?

—Tired Of It

Dear Tired Of It
Sounds like a diabetes thing to me.

Actual Funny Court Transcripts
From Disorder in Court, author unknown. Forwarded by Sir John the Generous.
Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo or the occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo?
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.

Frontiersman

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Reprint Policy — Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this newsletter in its entirety or to reproduce material from it, provided that the reproduction is accurate and that proper credit is given. Please note that I do not have the authority to give permission to reprint material that I have reprinted from other sources. For that permission, you must go to the original source. I would appreciate receiving a courtesy copy of any document or publication in which you reprint my material.

Submissions — I solicit letters, articles, and cartoons for the newsletter, but I don't pay for them. Short items are more likely to be printed. I suggest that letters and articles be shorter than 500 words, but that's flexible depending on space available and the content of the piece. I give credit for all items printed unless the author specifies otherwise.

Payment — This newsletter isn't for sale. If you care to make a voluntary contribution, you may do so. The continued existence of the newsletter will depend, in part, on such contributions. I accept cash, U.S. postage stamps, prepaid telephone cards, and so forth. I will accept checks or money orders only by prior arrangement. I don't accept anything that requires me to provide ID or a signature to receive it. In case anybody is curious, I also accept gold, silver, platinum, etc. I'm sure you get the idea.

— Sam Aurelius Milam III, editor

May 2003
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