Additional Titles

THE DEPARTMENT OF PRECRIME

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!


By Paul Proctor

June 15, 2002

NewsWithViews.com

Is this what's next for America...a federal government that takes upon itself the divine role of "judging the thoughts and intents of the heart"? (Heb 4:12) Have the barrage of terrorist threats dominating the headlines of late so overwhelmed us that we can no longer function as free men and women under constitutional law? Must we now sanction, no, DEMAND that our bureaucratic caretakers capture, process, question and interpret our every word and deed with spies, cameras, recorders, satellites, computers and tribunals in order to protect us from ourselves? Is that what it's coming to here in the "land of the free"? Look at the pattern forming in the media and the precedence being set in Washington.

First, the US military goes to "war" overseas in search of a SUSPECT named Osama Bin Laden. Then we turn our sights on his homeys...an evil group of radical Islamics called the "Taliban" who were widely reported by alternative news sources to have actually been a federally funded creation of the CIA from years gone by. When we "couldn't find" Osama and began running out of Taliban to chase and photograph, POOF...a new target appeared named "Al Qaeda". Then "Johnny Taliban" was captured and bound before the cameras for all to see and detest...a pathetic American turncoat, accused of living and fighting alongside the Taliban against the United States over in Afghanistan. They ran that footage of him kneeling in the sand in silence with his hands and feet tied behind him over and over and over again to make absolutely certain that his image was burned into our memories.

The latest face of evil is Jose Padilla (alias "Abdullah al Muhajir")...another American citizen who allegedly posed a threat to his homeland by spending the last couple of years in Pakistan planning something "suspicious". For THIS and THIS ALONE he is now locked away in solitary confinement INDEFINITELY like so many others before him, with no attorney, no rights and no one to talk to but his accusers. Frankly, my concern is not so much for him as it is for the rest of us. His intent may have been as evil as Judas Iscariot's kiss but if he, a United States citizen, is denied due process of law and is unofficially declared guilty of PLANNING SOMETHING by reason of SUSPICION without any legal representation or opportunity to publicly defend himself then, my friends, we have bigger issues to address here in America than fighting terrorism.

If we are going to start handing out life sentences to our own for
things they MIGHT HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT DOING then we may as well appoint "Miss Cleo" as the head of Homeland Security, burn the Constitution and be done with it! There's no need for expensive and burdensome departments, agencies and courts either. President Bush could just call her up each day on her 900 line and see who's thinking and saying what, make a quick list of names and send the "New FBI" out to round 'em all up before they have a chance to commit whatever misdeed Miss Cleo envisioned them planning. Are we heading toward the formation of something Hollywood calls "The Department of Precrime"? Already Matt Drudge is reporting that ultra-liberal movie producer Steven Spielberg is siding with "conservative" president Bush on this issue saying: "I am willing to give up some of my personal freedoms in order to stop 9/11 from ever happening again". Could his up and coming movie, "Minority Report", starring Tom Cruise, be the first fruits of Hollywood's controversial meetings with the White House last year? You tell me.

SPIELBERG SIDES WITH BUSH ON FBI PRECRIME
http://www.drudgereport.com/dpc.htm

The pattern I hoped you might recognize concerning the "war on terrorism" is this; with each new terrorist "suspect" the government parades before us on television, the finger of blame turns ever more toward home...not to illegal aliens or visiting foreigners with visas living and working among us but more specifically to US citizens being viewed and treated as suspect. It's as if we are being conditioned to accept the notion that WE ALL are potential threats to society and should therefore be kept under close observation by the "New FBI" for the benefit of the collective as if to justify the unconstitutional measures being taken under color of law. Maybe now some of you will understand why Uncle Sam's new neighborhood snitch program is so valuable to the administration. Are you even concerned? You should be. The potential for tyranny is frightening.

"When Hitler attacked the Jews I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church...and there was nobody left to be concerned."-- Pastor Martin Niemöller, Nazi Germany

© Paul Proctor - All Rights Reserved


Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state and seasoned veteran of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the late 1990's to dedicate himself to addressing important social issues from a distinctly biblical perspective. As a freelance writer and regular columnist for Ether Zone [http://www.etherzone.com] he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight on current events.

Paul's articles can be found on various news and opinion sites across the internet. He can be reached by email at watchman@usa.com

 


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