Dear editor:
Nearly every day I open a newspaper and read about someone somewhere who claims their Constitutional rights were violated. I feel that this constant leaning on the Constitution is wearing the old document out. Pretty soon, the thing may collapse, and then we'll have to write a new one. Dumb jokes aside, I was a bit surprised to see such a left-wing stance being taken in last Friday's Daily News editorial.
Apparently, some think that President Bush is making a mistake by instituting new national security policies in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Well, let me be the first to say that I am not one of them. First of all, it was America's lax immigration laws and overzealous emphasis on Constitutional rights that allowed the tragedy to happen in the first place. Those responsible for the attacks used our policies against us, laughing in our faces as we suffered on Sept. 11.
For too long the government has being prevented from maintaining adequate national security. Now President Bush is fighting to change that. He wants to try the perpetrators in military tribunals because he knows our justice system is inadequate to handle this type of situation. Those responsible for Sept. 11 would walk free if tried in our courts. Besides, the attacks were an act of war planned by a terrorist group and should be treated as such. They were not a civilian crime.
So, I don't see how military tribunals are unconstitutional. As for the government interviewing people of a Middle Eastern decent, you make it sound as if they just pull people off the street and question them. Again, that is not the case. Those questioned are believed to have vital information pertaining to the attacks. You think they just randomly pick up people because they look like they are from the Middle East? A co-worker of mine is from Saudi Arabia, and no one has swooped him up for a round of questioning.
My point is, our government isn't gathering people to put in internment camps, and we aren't burning anyone at the stake.
The mistakes of Presidents Lincoln and Roosevelt pale in comparison to the leadership they offered in those times of crisis. These new policies will help bring those responsible for Sept. 11 to justice and prevent future attacks on the United States.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing easy about treading in the Constitution in the interest of national security. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and being safe from terrorism is every American's Constitutional right.
Matt Holland
senior
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