Another infamous day in the history of our Nation. Gack!
The more 'complete history' I learn, (verses the cherry picked stuff of Public K-12 propaganda, it does make for loyal at all cost citizens though) the more I wonder why I didn't spend a life time of reflex vomiting when i hear the words 'Politics', and 'Your Government' does this 'for your own good'. What part of representative Government, doesn't fit WITH ANY OF THOSE CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS? I note that the Census of 1930/40 wasn't mentioned as a way to round up all people who associated themselves as being either Japanese, Italian or German. The list proving our Constitution (the supposed LAW OF OUR LAND) is a myth that is only applicable when it suits those in power, goes on and on and on. Now that the Middle East is having a revolting Spring..... we are looking at EXACTLY the same thing happening HERE with NDAA which Obama signed into law on "New Years Eve". Thanks O'bomb'em. Scott ******************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------- On this day (Jan. 2) in 1920, Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer conducted a nationwide round-up of several thousand "radical" immigrants, anarchists, socialists and communists who were considered either terrorists or at least "un-American" and therefore were deemed dangerous and unworthy of American citizenship or even residence in the United States. These Jan. 2 raids largely were the American reaction to the perceived danger posed by Russia after the Bolshevik 1917 Revolution. In retrospect, these "Palmer Raids" were only one of the several times in American history when the U.S. government passed laws or engaged in activities that often, in the name of national security, curtailed constitutionally protected individual rights and in some cases blatantly were unconstitutional. The first such case occurred during the presidency of John Adams in 1798 when the Federalist-controlled Congress passed the infamous Alien and Sedition Acts, which were aimed against revolutionary France and its pro-French adherents. The second major curtailment of individual rights, again in the name of national security, occurred in the early 1860s when President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus and ordered some newspapers critical of his policies to be closed down. "The Great Emancipator" rationalized his actions by writing that he had a "right to take any measure which may best subdue the enemy." The fourth major period of popular fear that the country was threatened internally was the McCarthy era after World War II when many Americans, suspected of being communists, were, again in the name of national security, deprived of many of their First Amendment rights. Chronologically, the 1919-1920 "Palmer Raids" were the third major period of what could be considered an unwarranted fear of radicals and immigrants thought to be a threat to American security. The Jan. 2, 1920, "Red Scare" raid was among the most blatant attacks on First Amendment rights in America history. On this date, Justice Department agents and local police arrested more than 2,700 persons. In New England alone, 500 police and Justice Department agents (the Justice Department's investigative bureau became the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the mid-1930s) raided private homes, offices and stores looking to arrest American citizens who had, at least verbally, espoused "un-American" views or were too pro-union and to arrest and deport radical aliens. Many of the "dangerous suspects" arrested were detained and deported illegally. For example in Lynn, Mass., 39 people (more than half were American citizens) were holding a meeting to plan the establishment of a co-operative bakery when the police broke up the gathering and arrested the entire group. Since they had been arrested without warrants, 38 of the 39 were discharged the next day. Throughout the country, thousands of "suspects" were illegally arrested, many without proper warrants, and hundreds were deported, many without trials or hearings. These four major periods of constitutionally questionable activities during four of America's most threatening times highlights a dilemma facing all governments: It is the constant struggle of individual rights versus national security. In America, which greatly values the individual rights guaranteed in the Constitution with its revered Bill of Rights, it is imperative that Americans remain diligent in walking carefully the thin line between national security and individual rights. We should make sure that the pendulum between national security and individual constitutional rights does not swing too far either way. Crystal Lake resident Joseph C. Morton is professor emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University and author of "The American Revolution" and "Shapers of the Great Debate at the Constitutional Convention of 1787." He is available for tutoring, talks and workshops on American history. dem...@comcast.net Back to top [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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