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Dec. 27, 2004 When the passenger planes crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, before the dust settled, it became crystal clear that things would never be the same again. The attack shifted paradigms and shattered our sense of invulnerability and safety. We are not in Kansas anymore, we are in a Brave New World where we must all perform our patriotic duty to defeat Islamic terrorism. Sept. 11 made it clear that stricter security measures would soon be place. And so we dutifully take off our shoes at the request of the airport screener and we meekly allow the security guard at the arena to paw through our bags. We are willing to take off our jackets and hand over our luggage to be examined by security officials but are we being too quick to relinquish our basic civil liberties? Uncle Sam's "Total Information Awareness Project" is amassing a database of Americans' medical, health, financial, tax and even entertainment records. Think nobody knows you rented the DVD of "Debbie Does Dallas"? Think again. Big Brother sees everything. Feeling smug because you shredded the Visa statement with the charge from the "Super 8 Motel" before your wife could see it? Uncle Sam knows if you've been naughty or nice. Only the ACLU protested when Attorney General announced new guidelines that lifted restrictions on domestic spying by law enforcement agencies. And now in the guise of the war of terrorism, the Bush administration has been pressuring universities to not publish some of their research -- and in some cases bar participation of foreign students -- on projects the government labels "sensitive." The Department of Defense, the Justice Department and several other even more secretive government agencies have demanded that they be the first to review finished research. What's next? Will the federal government demand that they review our childrens' creative writing assignments? If little Johnny writes an essay about beating up Ronald McDonald he will get a friendly visit from a CIA spook? The universities claim it's an attack on academic freedom. The role of a college or university is to impart knowledge and to spread information. For the government to curtail or censor the free flow of knowledge is intolerable in a free society. America is the technological and scientific leader of the world precisely because of the openness of our society and the inclusiveness of our citadels of learning. The White House ought to be concerned about security, but the administration's research demands are outrageous, especially considering that almost half of the graduate research students are foreigners. Such draconian demands suppress academic pursuit and can be construed as xenophobic and racist. It should be worth noting that Timothy McVeigh did not glean his information on how to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City by poring over the research projects of grad students at MIT or Yale. McVeigh simply loaded a Ryder Truck with fertilizer to accomplish his dirty deed. The Sept. 11 hijackers did not need a degree in engineering to bring down the World Trade Center Towers -- they simply crashed airplanes into the buildings. The Bush administration should immediately stop pressuring universities to not publish their research. Blocking the free flow of information will not prevent acts of terrorism. Indeed, intimidating universities from disseminating information is in itself a pernicious act of terrorism. To indulge in terrorism in order to defeat terrorism is illogical and self-defeating. Sept. 11, 2001 was a wake-up call and every red- blooded American is willing to do everything he can to prevent terrorism, but that should not include giving up our constitutional rights of free speech. ------------ About the author: Robert Paul Reyes is a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger. Email: rreyes4966@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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