This stuff is really starting to bother me.
From the perspective of a Republican (which I'm not, but can emulate from time to time), St. Ronnie destroyed the Evil Empire so we could bring this crap here?
What's bothering me is not that the FBI is keeping an eye on a U.S. Citizen of Iranian descent who lives in Italy and has recently traveled to Iran. What bothers me is the use of scare tactics to try to change his behavior when he hasn't done anything wrong or even very questionable as far as the author of the article can tell.
If he's done something, charge him. If he hasn't, then treat him like anyone else. As it is, they can't seem to consistently ask questions without handcuffing him first.
What's really bothering me is that the rest of us are putting up with it. Perhaps we should all be writing our congress-critters, asking them to have a staffer send a polite note to the police departments involved. Perhaps, that way, the Man can feel that someone is watching Him for a change.
Note: in my professional life I've known a fair number of cops and a greater number of ex-cops. I find them just like most other people: trying to do the best thing in a confusing and contradictory world. I really, really don't want to slam cops for problems in judgment and I sure as hell don't want to slam them retroactively for things they didn't know at the time. I want to correct the judgment and mistakes and then get that new, improved judgment back out on the street.
The problem isn't new: Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?
Answer: we do. It's a Democracy (representative, to be sure), but it's our job to keep an eye on what's going on.
On other notes, beware traveling with a Southern Accent. (OK, so it wasn't really the accent that was the problem, but does anyone else have issues with this one, too?)
Same problem, probably same answer.
(NOTE: Yes, I'm assuming the NY Times got their facts straight and presented them straight. Left bias or not, I think they're rigorous enough to quote correctly. If, actually, the gov't does have something real on this guy, well, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL THEY TELL US. "Trust us" doesn't work. Never really has, sure doesn't now.)
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