Blair boots extremists
I wonder what the outcry here would be if President Bush proposed a policy like the one put forth today by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
My guess: Bush would be accused of destroying what few civil liberties remain in this country, repealing the Bill of Rights, and so on.
But Blair's measure is common sense. If you're not a British subject (and civil liberties belong to citizens), you won't be welcome to stay if you're stirring up hatred and encouraging violence against the population and the government.
Can Britain take such draconian actions and remain a free country?
Yes. And a safer one, too.
Comments (3)
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Doug- Blair has repeatedly shown his mettle. I do not have any insight as to whether the domestic political imperatives in Britain are weighted as heavily to the extreme civil liberties crowd; but what he articulated would be a welcome, if perhaps unachievable, policy here. On a matter that is not entirely unrelated, you may have seen that Mayor Bloomberg in NYC was sued by the NY Civil Liberties Union because of the new policy of screening some subway passengers-- even though he has specifically repudiated profiling.
Posted on August 5, 2005 7:45 PM
When I heard audio of Blair's announcement today, I thought it was a good idea. We would never hear Bush make a similar pronouncement, but that is more about his wink and nod immigration policy.
Posted on August 5, 2005 9:15 PM
Thanks for the comments.
The random searches in NY are legal window dressing. I would bet that security personnel are really looking out for people who do fit known profiles. They'd be stupid not to.
Bush's wink-and-nod immigration policies seem to apply to Hispanic immigrants, who don't pose much of a national security threat. At the same time, the border with Mexico is pretty wide open to just about anyone.
Posted on August 8, 2005 9:17 AM