perfidy

Those who know me know that I worry about some recent actions taken by the US Justice Department. So far, the USA PATRIOT Act has pretty much failed to change the game either way, though its full potential both for good and eeeevil remains to be proven. But the proposed "PATRIOT II" on the horizon is a much different, much scarier, matter that I'm sure I'll get all red-faced about in future posts.

One of the central unspoken values of American society is the ability for citizens to live free from fear of their government. Indeed, this is one of the features of "by/of/for the people." However, with certain recent actions by the Justice Department to extend the powers of the executive, I feel that, for me at least, this freedom is being threatened, and in the most petty and pointless ways, and it could get worse. But I digress. More also about hashpipes, websites, and packet sniffing to come, lucky you.

Anyway, the good news on this front is that, according to the New York Times, Jose Padilla (Mr. Dirrty Bomb) will be allowed to see his lawyer. This is a good thing. Padilla, though he may be a low-life, is still an American citizen, and unless he is convicted of treason, he will remain one. Most heartening is that the judge hearing the case admonished the Justice Department,

"Lest any confusion remain, this is not a suggestion or a request that Padilla be permitted to consult with counsel, and it is certainly not an invitation to conduct a further `dialogue' about whether he will be permitted to do so. It is a ruling -- a determination -- that he will be permitted to do so," the judge said."

Hopefully, this indicates a trend in which judges question the Justice Department's efforts to designate US citizens "enemy combatants" and thereby automatically suspend their civil rights. Citizenship is a basic gift, and to allow the government to suspend it at will is to cheapen what it means for everyone. If Jose Padilla was really trying to set off a Dirrty Bomb, and if the government really has evidence strong enough to convict, then the Justice Department has nothing to fear from letting the system work.