NEW WORLD ORDER

Patriot Act: US Feds use fear create a police state

Opposition to the USA Patriot Act has reached such a high level that Attorney General John Ashcroft has had to launch a road show to defend it. In June he met with editors and media executives in Aspen, Colo., to solicit their assistance in "portraying accurately" the act, which places unprecedented restrictions on the rights and freedoms of people in this country — both citizens and noncitizens. The Justice Department has also asked that law enforcement officials write commentaries supporting the act.
Unfortunately, the arguments used by the Justice Department fail to convince. That is partly because many are deceptive, if not outright lies; and partly because the manipulation of fears and the lack of self-consistency are apparent in those arguments.