Just as the Waco enterprise resulted in deaths among the assaulting force, and the retributive massacre of those who defended their "right to be secure," the enforcers of law appear not to learn. We see the same behaviors and results repeated, albeit on a smaller scale, over and over. As for example in Portland, Oregon, where a policewoman recently died during forced entry (sans warrant or probable cause) that was resisted. The resistor, seriously wounded, apprehended and literally dragged off to jail, was almost immediately made a "suicide" in the hands of his captors. Even the notoriously liberal local media choked a bit on that one.
But the encroachment by government upon our Liberties is on the threshold of far greater assaults than heretofore. To understand the insidious nature of that threat, the following commentary by Paul Weyrich offers fair warning.
"Direct Line" Commentary, April 13, 1998 on America's Voice
For some time now, especially through the Free Congress program "Endangered Liberties," we have been warning about the consequences of permitting the federal government to spy on its citizens. The Clinton Administration is already implementing a number of measures to track the American people and is seeking the ability to have far greater authority to spy through monitoring of e-mail, faxes and phone calls of average citizens.
It turns out we have only to look just to the south to find out just what such a system of government spying would be like. An anonymous written tip, pressed into the hand of a Mexican senator who was running for governor, has, months later led to the uncovering of a sophisticated spy network that rivals that conducted by the KGB when the Soviets were in full control of Russia and surrounding republics .
Prominent and not so prominent political figures were monitored day and night with state of the art equipment. The government, it seems, knew everything about the personal lives of these politicians. Due to corruption, much of this information was passed along to the criminal element who in turn used it to keep control of narcotics and other illegal business interests. The scandal has rocked Mexico, which has become used to a high level of government corruption. Prominent politicians from both left and right, who have opposed the ruling PRI party, which has dominated Mexican politics for the past 70 years, have gone public with details of their personal lives just to demonstrate the extent to which the government has been spying on them.
The government, perhaps having learned from the Clinton Administration, is stonewalling all inquiries about the scandal. Nevertheless, more and more revelations are being disclosed thanks to the persistence of Senator Layda Sansores Sanroman. Acting on that tip, she and 100 followers, after months of searching, surrounded a concrete house in the historic district of the Southern Mexican city of Campeche. The janitor opened the door late one night after she and her supporters blockaded the building. There she discovered sophisticated eavesdropping equipment as well as thousands of files on not only herself but other prominent Mexican officials. She and her staff carted the files away and have been combing through them ever since.
The files are providing an on-going political soap opera unprecedented in the nation's history. Mexican citizens are both shocked and outraged.
Telephone bugging, by the way, has been illegal in Mexico until last year when the ruling PRI government pushed through a "reform" measure supposedly aimed at combating organized crime, which allowed for electronic eavesdropping. It turns out that such government spying has been going on for years.
Unlike the United States, Mexico has no written constitution on which citizens can rely for protection. Perhaps the Mexican experience, if it is given more prominent attention in this country, will serve as a real-time warning to citizens of this country about what spying by government really means.
The government knew in advance exactly what moves its opponents were going to make. It was able to keep a step ahead of candidates which were opposing the government. Threats were made against the lives of people whose legislative moves were in any way threatening to the government's views.
Mexico was not quite the police state which the Soviets achieved, but it obviously came close. This is exactly what the Clinton Administration wants to import here. They make it clear that they want an "updated" Constitution. They speak openly of a fourth amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures, which would be revised for our modern times. Modern times indeed. This administration won't be satisfied until it has files on all of its opponents.
Perhaps, as was the case with Mexico, the bugging has already begun before it is legal. It is time for all Americans who care about liberty to be concerned about this issue. What we are concerned about isn't just theory. It has been put into practice with our neighbor to the south. What is happening in Mexico needs to become an issue in this country, and every citizen must become equipped with the information and means to fight what Clinton, in the name of law enforcement and national security, wants to initiate here.
The Mexican experience gives us a great opportunity to make sure that what has happened there doesn't happen here.
(Copyright by the Free Congress Foundation; permission granted for publication here.)
When they assaulted the freedoms of the tax protestors, I did not object, for I was not a tax protestor. When they harrassed the conservative "far right" with tax audits and threats to confiscate their assets in reprisal, I did not object, for I was not one of them. When they seized property and money of innocent people whose property was only alleged to have been used for unlawful purposes, I did not ojbect, as my property was not involved. Now as the forces of tyranny are knocking down my door.......
THE FOURTH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION:
"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, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Read it and weep for Liberty lost.
Bill Bonville