365... Tech

  The constant expansion of Federal police powers is undeniably a threat to every Americans freedoms. The use of the specter of 'terrorism' to drive such usurpations of power is especially devious, as there is no clear definition of terrorism, nor is there any long established body of laws or customs in handling it legally. This combination of ambiguity with inexperience presents the growing threat of progressively tyrannical laws; laws meant to stop such things as bombings of schoolbuses, but that are used later to shut down religious opposition to the current secular regime as it promotes its anti-christian agenda.   In the past, the FBI misused its authority to engage in intimidating investigations of civil rights organizations called INTELPRO, using dirty tricks and harassment. Later they targeted liberal groups suspected of pro-communist ties with Latin American regimes. Despite this track record of erroneous accusations, extra-legal tactics, and inappropriate use of power, Congress is handing the Justice Dept even more potentially abusive power; and all justified by the single, unsupported accusation of 'terrorism'.   Currently, this nation's Muslims are experiencing the leading edge of such 'anti-terrorism' laws. They have been infiltrated, held in jail for years without trial on the basis of secret evidence only, had personal property confiscated on the mere suspicion of collaboration with groups that support overseas 'terrorists'. A close look at their experience is a harbinger of what will eventually confront the christian churches.   A case in point is Mazen al-Najjar, a University of Florida professor who has been held in jail since May 1997, without trial or even being charged, on the basis of secret evidence that has never been shown to him, his attorney, or a jury. He claims he is being accused of association with a terrorist organization because a fellow instructor at Florida later turned out to be a supporter of Hamas. Only an immigration judge, and an appeals board has seen this evidence, and NO TRIAL was ever held.   Of course, what passes for a 'terrorist' group is totally fungible. One FBI agent, in 1986, described the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as a terrorist group _base_d on observations of pictures of Palestinian youth carrying AK-47's, and the playing of 'martial music' at one of their meetings. On the basis of this, and similar circumstantial evidence, _EIGHT_ members of this group, none of whom had any arrest record, were arrested. Despite the criticism of many judges of how the FBI handled this matter and its internal motivations to define this group 'terrorist' before the investigation even started, these eight people have sat in jail for over a decade WITH OUT TRIAL.   Even having US citizenship doesnt protect you if the authorities want to go after you. Mohamed Salah used to teach kids the Koran, and worked in his local Chicago mosque preparing for holidays and burials of the faithful. Without trial, without presenting evidence to Salah or his attorney's, the FBI has seized his bank account, his property, and his home. He, his wife and four kids are now homeless, living on donated food, and Salah's business was destroyed. He cant even have financial dealings with ANYONE, including his attorneys or his doctors, without special permission from the US Treasury Dept. What he is accused of is donating money to his church, some of which went to Hamas, and some of that went to purchasing weapons, though most went to building hospitals, roads and providing jobs in the Palestinian community. Was Salah aware of ANY of this? He says no, and the Justice Dept has never provided any evidence of such knowledge by Salah. But under the new anti-terrorism laws there is no need for evidence; all that is needed is the proof that you donated some money to a group that the Justice Dept considers terrorist, whether directly or indirectly.   A Georgetown University law professor, David Cole, has criticized the FBI's heavy handed tactics. The FBI is basically saying, 'Trust us, we're hunting down bad guys.' But they're going way over-board. He continued to say that the Justice Dept is essentially criminalizing charity, noting that by these same guidelines it would have allowed the FBI to confiscate the property of any Americans that donated money to the ANC during apartheid's heyday.   One senior FBI agent said, We know that whenever we do something, people are going to call us jack-booted thugs. But if we do nothing, people are going to yell at us when something blows up. Gosh, dont you feel so sorry for this poor, abused jack-boot? How about giving Mazen or Salah a trial? Ever hear of that? Of course, to a jack-booted thug, trials are a privilege granted by the state, and the bad guys just use them to evade their due punishment. The Jack-Booted Thugs know ALL.   The FBI can also make secret wiretaps (authorized by Reno, not a judge), which have escalated in recent years, to 750  that are publicly known in 1997, and over 800 in 1996, as compared to little over 400 in 1991. The FBI's anti-terrorism budget has doubled to $286 million from $118 M in 1995, and they have redoubled the agents assigned to anti-terrorism to over 2,650 agents. Bear in mind, when such resources have been dedicated, results are EXPECTED. Kind of like the little town that finally buys the local sheriff a new patrol car, more traffic tickets are expected to help pay for it, whether there was an actual increase in traffic problems or not. People, many or most of them innocent as far as anyone publicly knows, will be jailed without trial or being charged and held for years, as surely as the FBI has ambitious and ruthless men willing to advance their careers _base_d on their arrest record. No matter how many churches, innocents, or children they burn, as they did at Waco.   It is the Biblical church that will endure the brunt of all these new toys the JD and FBI are getting. Like the RICO laws that were never meant to target anti-abortion protesters, these anti-terroism laws will be used against the church if any of its charities end up having sent some of its moneys to a group that winds up an a 'terrorist list' like some anti-homosexual rights group that stage a demonstration that turned violent, or an anti-abortion group that has had some violations of the law, like Operation Rescue. The 'christian right' is being vilified in the publics mind for a reason, and christian 'leaders' will rue their silence today while it is only the Muslims being persecuted by Reno and her jack-booted thugs. RGlenCheek