Attorney General John Ashcroft responded to the Supreme Court’s decision as follows: "We are pleased the Supreme Court declined to consider a challenge of the government’s lawful actions to detect and prevent international terrorism and espionage within our borders. It is vitally important for law enforcement and intelligence officials to work together to protect against foreign threats." What was NOT addressed was the fact that the government ALREADY had the powers to surveil terrorists and coordinate their findings with other agencies. The only thing that changed was the power to surveil American citizens where there is NOT sufficient evidence to obtain a warrant - a fact that Ashcroft carefully neglected to mention.

By: William Safire, Syndicated Columnist

"If the Homeland Security Act is not amended..., here is what will happen to you:

"Every purchase you make with a credit card, every magazine subscription you buy and medical prescription you fill, every Web site you visit and e-mail you send or receive, every academic grade you receive, every bank deposit you make, every trip you book and every event you attend - all these transactions and communications will go into what the Defense Department describes as "a virtual, centralized grand database."

"For more than 200 years, security and liberty have been viewed as coexistent values. Ashcroft and his aides appear to view this relationship as lineal, where security must PRECEDE liberty. Since the nation will never be entirely safe from terrorism, liberty has become a mere rhetorical justification for INCREASED security. Ashcroft is a catalyst for constitutional devolution, encouraging citizens to accept AUTOCRATIC RULE as their only way of avoiding massive terrorist attacks.