You'll read
people like Harry Browne, John Lott,

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h

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A message from
Jim Babka, President
the new Downsize DC Foundation

Dear friends,

Today, we have a Congressman Ron Paul commentary:
"Freedom vs. Security: A False Choice." But before we
get to that we have a very important announcement.

Last Friday, the parent organization of the
DownsizeDC project, the American Liberty Foundation,
changed its name to the Downsize DC Foundation - such
is the power of this idea. The new foundation will be
working closely with another organization called
DownsizeDC.org, Inc. which will give you a voice in
Washington - a voice that will compete with the
lobbyists who "feed sideways at the public trough."

The transition is well under-way. And part of that
transition includes a consolidation - allowing the
lean, aggressive foundation to focus. This email
list, the Downsizer-Dispatch will be merging with
LibertyWire - the email list of the new Downsize DC
Foundation.

In other words, this is the last message that will
come from this list.

And the name "Downsizer-Dispatch" will be moving to
the new DownsizeDC.org, Inc. as the name for their
list. DownsizeDC.org, Inc. was formerly
RealCampaignReform.org, Inc. Subscribers to their
RCRreport, will now be greeted by the new Downsizer-
Dispatch.

We believe you'll enjoy LibertyWire. It comments on a
number of political and social issues, always
providing a small-government perspective. You'll read
people like Harry Browne, John Lott, and Yours Truly
on this list - oh, and of course, Ron Paul.

And now, on to our final commentary Downsizer-
Dispatch op-ed.

Freedom vs. Security: A False Choice

by Rep. Ron Paul, MD

In recent days administration officials have warned
the nation about possible terrorist attacks,
subjecting us once again to color-coded threat charts
and puzzling admonitions to go about our lives as
usual. The message is clear: grave danger surrounds
us, but ordinary citizens should do nothing and trust
the government to take care of it.

But the obvious lesson of September 11th is that
government cannot protect us. Even with trillions of
tax dollars spent on "defense," hijacked planes flew
unchallenged over our skies and attacked national
symbols of business and government. Yet now we're
told to put even more faith into the same
bureaucracies that failed us so miserably in the
past? Self-reliance and self-defense are American
virtues; trembling reliance on the illusion of
government-provided security is not.

It's easy for elected officials in Washington to tell
Americans that government will do whatever it takes
to defeat terrorism, but it's your freedom and your
tax dollars at stake - not theirs. The history of the
20th century demonstrates that the Constitution is
violated most egregiously during times of crisis.
Many of our worst unconstitutional agencies and
programs began during the two world wars and the
Depression, when the public was anxious and willing
to view government as a savior and protector.
Ironically, the Constitution itself was conceived in
a time of great crisis. The founders intended to
place inviolable restrictions on what the federal
government could do even in times of great distress.
America must guard against current calls for
government to violate the Constitution - meaning
break the law - in the name of law enforcement.

The misnamed Patriot Act, presented to the public as
an anti-terrorism measure, actually focuses on
American citizens rather than foreign terrorists. For
example, the definition of "terrorism" for federal
criminal purposes has been greatly expanded; future
administrations may consider you a terrorist if you
belong to a pro-gun group, a citizen militia, or a
pro-life organization. Legitimate protest against the
government could place you (and tens of thousands of
other Americans) under federal surveillance.
Similarly, your Internet use can be monitored without
your knowledge, and your Internet provider can be
forced to hand over user information to law
enforcement without a warrant or subpoena.

The biggest problem with these new law enforcement
powers is that they bear little relationship to
fighting terrorism. Surveillance powers are greatly
expanded, while checks and balances on government are
greatly reduced. Most of the provisions have been
sought after by domestic law enforcement agencies for
years, not to fight terrorism, but rather to increase
their police power over the American people. The
federal government has made no showing that it failed
to detect or prevent the September 11th attacks
because of the civil liberties that will be
compromised by this new legislation.

America was founded by men who understood that the
threat of domestic tyranny is as great as any threat
from abroad. If we want to be worthy of their legacy,
we must resist the rush toward ever-increasing state
control of our society. Otherwise, our own government
will become a greater threat to our freedoms than any
foreign terrorist
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Dr. Ron Paul is a congressman from Texas (R-14) and
the leader of the Liberty Caucus.

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