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"9/11 National Security Protection Act"--Sen. Roberts goes berserk

Gwynne Kowski | 23.08.2004 17:41 | Anti-militarism | Globalisation | Repression | World

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and 7 other Republican senators, have proposed splitting the US CIA into three separate agencies, all under one National Intelligence Service--has the far right gone mad?

The following is a letter sent by myself to certain members of the Senate:

Dear Senators:

I want to ask you to oppose the CIA split, tentatively called "9/11 National Security Protection Act", in the next session of Congress. Obviously, it's just plain stupid. Keep up the good job. And here's some more things you can say in your next session of Congress to defend our patriotic rights!

Well, here's my take on it. First, Roberts is a Republican, so this can't be good at all. Roberts was a COWARD to make this proposal on the eve of the close of the Sept. 11th panel hearing! Why didn't he bring it forward at that time and lay it on the table, for everyone to see and decide upon? It was right before the beginning of summer session, too, so I guess he was afraid of what everyone would have to say about the plan! He just jumped right in and proposed it, without an opportunity for criticism and debate, like he was afraid of censure. And now, he and 7 other conservative elitists PRESUME to restructure our federal government?

And now, even CIA members are criticizing this move, saying it would create more "stove pipes" when there should be less. Well, we all remember what happened on 9-11, don't we? There was the CIA, the FBI, the National Guard, the Army, the NY police, the firefighters, and none of them could communicate! There was bickering and dissension between CIA and FBI to the bitter end! And now, we want to split up the CIA into "mini mes", so we can have 3 times the action? Or better yet, how about Dr. Seuss's classic, "The Cat In The Hat"... why would we want to divide the CIA into "Thing One, Thing Two and Thing Three"? It reminds me of a line from Ghostbusters: "Let's split up. We can do more damage that way." Dissension, infighting, bickering, and lack of clear direction.... And, pray tell, why would we want to take the teeth out of the Pentagon? Has the Pentagon simply gotten too much bad press, so we must reorganize under a new name, like certain corporations do?

This can't be good. It's going to open up a whole new can of worms. There will be new laws and new regulations to govern these new agencies, and new powers, many of which may endanger the rights we hold dear. It seems positively diabolical to me.
This move would only make it easier for each new respective agency to abuse their powers and harder to control funding to each and the use of those funds, particularly in regards to funding terrorist cells around the world to achieve political objectives, something the CIA is famous for.

This move should go down in *history* as the single most crazy, hair-brained idea ever conceived, and this year should go down in history as the single most conservative-packed humbug we have *ever* seen! Feels like the good-ole days again--smells of filibusters, and McCarthyism..... and yet, just watch. The public has been turned so often this way and that, they're in a stupor. They'll hardly even blink.

This guy should be loudly, and publicly, denounced! This calls for more than the usual campaign.... there should be a public rallies and loud demonstrations!!!!! Really, the way I see it, it's negative all around. Maybe, if someone (perhaps a senator from Kansas) wanted to alarm people even more about terrorists and terrorism, he would dissolve the CIA and chop it to pieces, so terrorists can have a free ride from now on. After all, they are so important in our society for shaping public policy.

Oh, and drop our friend Kerry a note, and let him know it was a knee-jerk mistake to support this new measure, and he should swiftly and publicly apologize to all his constituents.

Sincerely,

Gwynne Kowski

Gwynne Kowski