I have the distinct belief that one day in the not too distant future we will look back at this piece of hastily drawn and ill-considered 250-plus page piece of legislation (which almost no one has read) and we will exclaim: "Good Lord, what have we done? What has happened to the American way of life?"
Right now the government is looked to as the solution, not as the problem. Before Oklahoma City, most Americans thought of government as the problem. After the bombing of the federal center there, it became a 50/50 proposition. About half of Americans thought of government as the problem, about half saw it as the solution. Now with the Trade Center/Pentagon bombings the vast majority of the public is again looking to the government as the solution. . . .
Many of them [in the Bush Administration] have a long record of advocating and implementing ideas that would safeguard, preserve, and advance freedom. So, although I would be surprised if it were the case, let us make sure that the Bush team will not violate the Constitution in implementing the new powers given it by the Congress. . . . .
The next Administration could well be draconian in its approach to our civil liberties. They might well take every power given to it in this bill and use it to the nth degree. Then we will surely cry out, "What has happened to our American way of life?" I have a hunch, however, we will be hearing that outcry far sooner than eight years from now. It will not be because I don't trust Bush and Ashcroft and most of the people around them. I do. What I don't trust is human nature. And human nature being what it is, lots of people in government are going to be tempted to play fast and loose with our liberties because Congress was anxious to get out of town and refused to take the time to really understand the legislation they have written.
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