BEWARE ZEALOTS IN GOVERNMENT

Editor:

Our freedom is under attack by a power-mad zealot, a religious
fundamentalist who speaks to God every day and believes that God tells him
he is right.

The scariest thing is that according to the polls, a majority of Americans
agree with his mad plan.

But we'd better be much more afraid of John Ashcroft than Osama bin Laden.

Maybe you think we don't need to worry about secret military tribunals
where hearsay is allowed, rules of evidence don't apply, a two-thirds
guilty vote convicts, with no right of appeal, because Mr. Ashcroft and
"President" Bush say they are only for non-citizens. So all us citizens
think, oh, that's all right, non-citizens are probably guilty, and it
doesn't matter anyway if they were innocent. But this proposal is only the
nose of the camel under the tent. If we don't whack his snout right now,
we'll never get this mangy, stinking camel out of our tent of freedom!

Next they will come for American citizens who, for one reason or another,
the government finds it inconvenient to have exercising their right of free
speech. In his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr.
Ashcroft accused anybody who disagrees with him of aiding and abetting
terrorists. It would be a short slither down a slippery slope for Ashcroft
to persuade Bush to order secret trials (or disappearances) for Americans
citizens he accuses of "treasonous sedition."

Like the writer of this letter?

Maybe you think I'm paranoid. But remember, if you're not paranoid, you
haven't been paying attention!

Michael Wolfe

Wilmington