New sign at international airports: “All foreigners from the Middle East and surrounding areas please report directly to jail.” I was hoping that this would never happen, but I suppose it was inevitable. Our Attorney General, John Ashcroft, has asked Congress to allow the United States government more freedom to fight terrorism in the U.S. Specifically preventing terrorists from entering and living in the country. Sounds like a good idea right? Of course it is, but not if it violates civil rights.

Our esteemed Attorney General is now finding an excuse to take an eraser to our country’s laws. To remind all of you, the Attorney General’s job is enforcing the laws of the land.

Mr. Ashcroft has asked the Congress to allow the government to stop terrorists in America by taking these, but not limited to, the following actions: 1. Allow U.S. Customs to detain (jail) any people with suspected ties to terrorism. 2. Allow governmental agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA, etc, …) to wire tap suspected terrorists phones without having to present a burden of proof to obtain a warrant. George Orwell must be off laughing somewhere.

Here’s the problem: the whole thing is unconstitutional. Article IV of the constitution protects all people in this country, citizen or not, from unreasonable search and seizure.

These changes proposed by the fascist-inclined folks in Washington are a total affront to what this country was built on. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness will now be privileges granted to the people who choose to let government run their lives.

While politicians have been preaching to Americans that we should act rationally in the wake of the attacks on America, the same politicians are refusing to do just that, act rationally. If we allow civil liberties to be violated now, where does it stop? It won’t stop and it will all be in the name of “justice.”