Pubdate: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT) Copyright: 2006 The Billings Gazette Contact: http://www.billingsgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/515 Author: Todd Rydquist BURNS IS WRONG: LAW TAKES AWAY CIVIL RIGHTS It appears that Sen. Burns has made his opponent's case regarding the Patriot Act with his statement that only terrorists, suspected terrorists, and affiliates of the mafia and drug kings have lost any rights. I've heard the "if you haven't done anything, you have nothing to fear" argument before, and those using that argument forget that civil rights exist to protect the innocent. A false accusation can come in many forms, including physical similarity to a suspect, false witness or setup, same last name, identity theft, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our civil rights are our defense against prosecution for crimes we did not commit. Additionally, the law of unintended consequences makes this type of legislation particularly dangerous. For example, an official with a passion for the "war on drugs" could conceivably twist the meaning of "affiliation with drug kingpins" to mean anyone who is suspected of selling, buying, or using drugs. The key words are "suspected of." This may be an extreme scenario; however, many of our laws are twisted far beyond their original intent (for example, look up the definition of "navigable waters of the U.S."). Our system is not a perfect one. However, our civil rights are there for our protection, and generally do a reasonable job of maintaining some semblance of fairness in the legal system. Todd Rydquist Billings - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine