Are You A Terrorist?

Are you a terrorist? You may never know. According to a recent Washington Post article that was printed in the St. Petersburg Times, "U.S. Seeks Secret Terror Watch List", the Obama administration wants to keep the government's terrorist watch list even more of a secret. This list is shared with all types of Federal, state and local agencies to help in identifying and thwarting terrorists' attacks. The administration is concerned that if a terrorist found out they were on the watch list they would change their habits, identities, etc. in order to avoid detection.

The downside of this policy is that an honest American citizen could never find out if they had mistakenly been put on the list. Imagine what could happen to your life if you name had ended up on the list, either accidentally or by some sort of vindictive government official. Every time you tried to fly on a plane, applied for a gun permit, traveled overseas, etc. could result in untold hassles, possible arrest, legal fees, and a tremendous waste of time. Step 22 in "Love My Country, Loathe My Government" would address this potential impact on our freedoms by forcing government agencies to tell us what information they have on file about us if we have not been convicted or indicted on any criminal charges. Secret files on citizens are never a good idea since, theoretically, we are supposed innocent until proven guilty.

This is just the latest in shady dealings in the area of government intrusion and potential usurping of the Constitution. Previous posts have discussed the White House plan to have Americans rat out their friends and relatives who disagree with Obama's health care reform plans by forwarding their emails that are in conflict with the administration's views directly to the White House. Another post looked at the incredible number of "czars" and the power Obama has endowed them with, bypassing many checks and balances that the Constitution requires from Congress over the executive branch. We will probably come back to this topic on a regular basis since the political class gets further and further away from the liberties and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights. Thus, even if you were a terrorist in the eyes of the government, you would never know if the current administration gets the stronger secrecy it wants over the watch list.