Patriot Act should not violate Bill of Rights

About three months ago, a 20-year-old man named Sherman Austin was sent to prison for 12 months, which was to be followed by three years of strict probation. What crime did he commit that justified the immutable tarnish put on his name and life? He wrote a few essays on socialism and communism and voiced his opinions on an anarchist Web site (RaiseTheFist.com). This may sound clichŽ, but doesn't this border on thought-crime? Unbeknownst to him, a Web site which he linked to contained information regarding assumedly minor explosives - the anarchist cookbook kids love it, but I haven't yet met one who's violent. The information? Nothing that you can't find at the UA library. Austin, 18 at the time, petitioned the government for a redress of grievances and was rewarded with two years of harassment and red tape, a year in prison and three of probation. The judge who sentenced him wanted to "make an example" for any other "revolutionaries."

What's worse is, due to counterterrorism laws, if Austin were to refuse a plea bargain and fight for his God-given innocence in this case, he could face an extra 20 years in prison. This was all made possible by the Patriot Act, paid for by our tax dollars. The government now has unlimited power to violate our Bill of Rights in any way seen fit by slapping the label "terrorist" on anyone who speaks out against it.

If Bill Hicks were here, he would say, "Go back to bed, America, your government is in control again. Here's 56 channels of 'American Idol'; you are free to do as we tell you." If this court decision stands uncontested, everything that is right and good about our country will be dead. There is nothing patriotic about defying our Bill of Rights and silencing peaceful "revolutionaries." I'm not saying I agree with anarchy or anything else, but freedom of speech is what we once stood for. Please, for the love of God, turn off your TV and read "1984" or "Brave New World." Then stand up and say something, because if our Bill of Rights is allowed to be used as toilet paper in court, then the only way to be patriotic anymore is to speak out; that is the only way America can save its soul.

Joel Reuter
pre-computer science sophomore

Wartime military losses not unlike peacetime

I just want folks to know that the military is a dangerous place in peacetime too. With all the controversy about our anti-terror missions in Iraq and Afghanistan (to name only two) there is one argument that has advanced through the media ranks and onto bumper stickers: that our service men and women are somehow being needlessly sent to their deaths in these remote places because of misguided foreign policy initiatives. This message usually comes from those who support our troops yet are anti-Bush. The people who want to pull our troops out use casualty statistics to build their argument. Look a little closer at those claims before agreeing with them.

Servicemen and servicewomen are killed and maimed every day - peacetime, wartime, combat, whenever. What are we seeing reported in the news? A helicopter crashes, a Hummer hits a land mine, other combat fatalities and related accidents. As tragic as combat losses are, there's much more to be told that isn't. For example, has anyone seen any stories about the personnel on board ships being killed and permanently disfigured due to boiler accidents, steam pipe ruptures, electrical shock, various machinery accidents and even routine maintenance? I certainly haven't seen ABC or CNN covering these losses. Don't Navy personnel matter enough to get equal airtime? How about accidents that claim life and limb which occur as part of routine training here in the states? Those reports certainly are hard to come by. Why could that be? The truth is that serving in the military is dangerous even in peacetime. I myself am a combat veteran and have witnessed death and destruction first-hand. Thank God I survived without a scratch. Unfortunately, I was permanently disabled while serving in the U.S. Navy, but that was the result of a car accident when I got back, something that happened here in the U.S. during peacetime. From my point of view, drunken drivers have caused me more harm than anything else.

So before you start thinking that our losses overseas are too high to tolerate, compare that to our peacetime losses if you want to know how many are more than normal. Then take that number and compare it to those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001. By being in Iraq and Afghanistan we're doing what needs to be done, and we're so good at it that we're not getting the crap beat out of us, as some would have you believe. When the war does finally end for network cameras, the troopers in the field will still be in a dangerous line of work, as will the sailors at sea. Truth is, the entire U.S. military is protecting more than U.S. interests; it is protecting the world from threats can easily kill people wherever Americans go. Driving tanks, flying planes and helicopters, being out at sea - all these activities are more dangerous than pushing papers around a desk. It's work that needs to be done, which every citizen should gladly do but only a few have the courage to fulfill.

Is it the military's responsibility to police the world? Maybe not, but who better to protect peace and freedom from threats that can strike us here at home? If nothing else, being in Iraq is a much better training exercise than what troopers would accidentally die in here at home; it's important training that will keep us fresh if things ever go from bad to worse. It may be expensive, but it comes with all kinds of great benefits, like stomping al-Qaeda into their graves. We are the champions and if we want to remain that way, the drills to stay sharp aren't free.

Peter Gamble
business management senior