Civil Liberties Weaker, Al-Qaida Stronger

So al-Qaida is stronger -- gee, does that mean all the patdowns and wiretapping and surveillance and other violations of our civil rights (not to mention our efforts in Iraq) aren't helping catch Osama and destroy terrorist networks? Instead of more of the same, maybe the government should regroup, rethink, and try something new. Forget occupying countries: we need some special forces strike teams to go in, hammer the bad guys, and get out. Train and hire more Arabic specialists and computer guys, find the terrorists, and shut them down, wherever they are. Get back to the old Republican line: no nation-building, no Big Brother at home.

Victor Davis Hanson: "The Real Threat to Civil Liberties"

Now for a conservative voice: Victor Davis Hanson opines on numerous issues he finds more onerous to civil liberties than the Patriot Act. He justifies the Patriot Act by saying "at least the Patriot Act passed both houses of Congress with wide public support." I find that claim thin -- the passage of the Patriot Act was more about fear than rational support. It passed so quickly that most Congresspeople (and most Americans) had no idea what all was included in the Justice Department's wish list, which it had kept on the shelf since the Oklahoma City bombings, waiting for the right moment of national hysteria to slide it through Congress.

Nonetheless, Hanson's arguments on other dangers to civil liberties -- illegal immigration, prosecutorial malfeasance in the service of political agendae, eminent domain for private profit, and the kerfuffle (somewhat artificial, but it's out there) about reviving the Fairness Doctrine -- bear reading.