Stripes LTE: We need to resist these encroachments on our civil liberties

[lebkuchen]

Hayden mistakes the Fourth

We should all be concerned about the recent nomination of Gen. Michael Hayden as the new CIA chief for a couple of reasons.

First, doesn’t it seem Machiavellian to consolidate power by appointing military leaders to civilian posts? I thought we had a strong tradition in America in keeping the military sector separate from the civilian one.

Second, Hayden is one of the architects of the domestic surveillance program. That should send chills down everyone’s back. Don’t need to get into that too much: Just read about the Third Reich, Red China or the USSR, and you’ll get the picture.

The third and most disturbing aspect is the fact that in January, Hayden, in an appearance before the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., was totally unfamiliar with the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause. …” Yet, according to transcripts of his talk, when pressed by a reporter with Knight Ridder’s Washington office, he stated that, “If there is any amendment that the agency (National Security Agency) is familiar with it’s the Fourth.” So right after claiming to be an expert, he stated and argued with the reporter that the words “probable cause” were not even in the Fourth.

It’s concerning to witness a military general in charge of intelligence gathering in the U.S. — who is so completely wrong on the nation’s constitutional laws and yet displays all the righteousness of a TV evangelist — be put in charge of an agency that will have ultimate responsibility on intelligence gathering on our own citizens. We need to resist these encroachments on our civil liberties.

Henry Hubbard
Ansbach, Germany

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=37222