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--> --> Freedom is discovered as a `cause' Albany Democrat Herald Oct. 23 Now that we realize how easily terrorists can harm our country, some people are suddenly worried about protecting our liberties. They fret that in the rush to protect the United States, some freedoms might be curtailed. It's strange that they never worried about curtailing our freedoms when the stakes were more mundane. Only a year or so ago, the biggest fear in the country was that of school shootings, and many politicians and editorial writers were all in favor of further restrictions on gun ownership - never mind that none of the restrictions would have prevented any of the shootings. The factions favoring restrictions seemed far more interested in safety than in freedom then. Years ago public health authorities became concerned that not everybody was wearing the seat belts provided in cars. Oregon voters passed a law to force people to buckle up for their own protection and to keep down the public cost of accidental injuries. Most voters were not the least reluctant to restrict their fellow citizens' freedoms in this way. We are perfectly happy to do the same with motorcycle riders, infringing on their freedom by forcing them to do the sensible thing, which is to wear a helmet. We have even allowed government policy to curtail freedom of speech in the interest of ridding the American workplace of any loose talk that might give offense. Now we have a real national emergency. A dirty war has been declared on America. Thousands of people have already been killed. The mail system is under a sneak attack by bio-terrorists, and the attack has disrupted the legislative branch of the government itself. And now, with the stakes a thousand times higher, with actual danger facing the country in a new type of war that has already claimed lives and may claim many more - now the former safety advocates among us suddenly discovering freedom as a cause. Actually, nobody is even talking about curtailing liberties. The issue is one mainly of tracking the electronic communication of people making war against America - so that the next mass destruction can be prevented. The Constitution bars unreasonable searches. No amount of surveillance of electronic signals can be considered unreasonable in the context of today. The government should infringe on freedom in order to prevent head injuries or to make people feel more comfortable at work, but not to protect the country from deadly attacks? That makes no sense. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing