Another Example of Your FBI at Work

[bloom061604]

There's a bit of paranoia in this article, but all Americans should be uneasy over the power in the hands of federal agencies.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1550141,00.asp

—Bloom

[WD12]

I'm sure someone with the initials WL will call me a lying sack of doodoo for saying this, but anyhow, it's true.

A couple of years ago I got in touch with a person who was the officer in charge of my unit in the service. We were close friends, I have even called him my mentor. I found him with Google searches and I reestablished contact with him. I knew he was in 'government service' but I knew a little about his employment, not the details, and I decided not to ask him anything specific.

I am a proud and true liberal, although I don't think liberals are right all the time, and I don't think conservatives are wrong all the time.

I have been in frequent contact with my friend expressing my dismay about the patriot act, the Bush administration in general, Ashcroft, Cheney and Rice in particular. And I went off more than once about how the Department of Homeland Security was abrogatting protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

At first we just communicated about our time in the service. When the war in Iraq came into the scene I went off on the administration. When the election began to heat up I gave him my thoughts on the individual candidates. He asked about the recall election in my home state of California. I have never been less than forthright with him. I knew he was important in the government, and I didn't ask how important because I didn't want to know. I didn't want it to color my communication with him.

How important is he? Well, I found out recently through a third party that he is one of the top officials in the Department of Homeland Security. How do I feel about that? Well, it has made me a little more careful in the messages I send to him. I never threatened anyone, but I sure expressed displeasure with the Bush administration.

On the other hand, this is someone I know and respect as one of the finest people I've ever known. If there has to be a Department of Homeland Security, I'm glad he's there to keep an eye on things. I'd trust him with my life, and maybe I already have.

He seems to listen to me, and sometimes I think, maybe hopefully, that perhaps he wants to hear what I have to say because he trusts me to be straight with him when the usual people around him in DC all have some sort of agenda. There is no way I will be setting or even influencing agenda in Washington, but I know someone there who counts is listening to me.

For what it's worth

WD12