Ask Auntie Pinko
December 13, 2001

Dear Auntie Pinko,

Why do progressive democrats like us stand for the government suspending the constitution to ostensibly protect us from terrorists and wackos?

Charles,
Clarkridge, AR

Dear Charles,

You're on shaky ground, here. Auntie Pinko has heard a great deal of this kind of rhetoric from liberal friends lately, and while I completely sympathize with the feelings behind it, I want to point out why it is so destructive to liberal ideals.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not in any way condoning the (at the very least) dubious actions of the Justice Department and the (almost certainly) unconstitutional assumption of powers by the Executive Branch. I sincerely doubt that my outrage at this self-serving prioritization of "security" over the true security of the rule of constitutional law is substantially less than yours.

It's not the very justified anger we feel that has the power to hurt us, Charles. Indeed, if we can harness that anger to productive ends (like communicating vigorously with our elected representatives, and working hard to elect new representatives, in '02 and '04,) Mr. Bush's administration will have done we liberals a very great service, indeed.

But overblown rhetoric describing the situation in emotional and inaccurate terms is like building a Maginot Line to defend part of our frontier, when the real threat will materialize from a different direction altogether. Mr. Bush's government has not implemented any blanket suspension of the entire constitution. Accusing them, loudly and repeatedly, of doing so, is a form of wolf-crying that gets us written off as alarmists, extremists, or merely whiners.

And while in defense of liberty it may be a virtue, extremism (particularly from us lefties, at the moment,) carries little clout when the issues are as complex as those we face now. Worse, it distracts attention from the very real threats to liberty posed by the current Administration's opportunistic grab to consolidate Executive power and curry public favor with quick-fix, end-justifies-the-means strategies.

The slow nibbling away at constitutional rights carries a danger far more insidious than a wholesale suspension of the constitution itself. By mislabeling the actions of Mr. Bush and his government, we enable them to write off our objections.

We can have far more effect with a few thoughtful, well-reasoned letters to the editors of magazines, local newspapers, and our elected representatives themselves, describing briefly and accurately the precise actions that worry and anger us. I can guarantee, Charles, that if every single person who page views this web site in one week wrote just three or four such letters, our representatives would sit up and take notice.

You can go further. Congress and the Senate will recess for the holidays. Make an appointment for yourself and three or four friends to spend fifteen minutes meeting with your Senator and Congressional representative in person. Bring a copy of your letter. Let them know that this concerns you deeply and that you will be paying attention to how they address these issues. Be pleasant, be polite, be firm, be brief. If enough constituents take the trouble to do this, again and again, each time they come home (even more so if you're in Washington and you can schedule a visit,) they will begin acting.

And thank you for writing to Auntie Pinko!