A History of Lawbreakers

Lately, Liberals have been looking to history to make a case against the warrantless wiretaps President Bush authorized the NSA to make. The Huffington Post looks to Nixon and Johnson - one impeached, the other nearly - to show how, historically, Bush's actions are worthy of impeachment. There are, however, other presidents that have violated the civil liberties of U.S. citizens for the sake of the security of the nation (Nixon excluded).

One of the highest rated presidents, Abraham Lincoln, in September of 1862 suspended the writ of habeas corpus as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Under this suspension, approximately 13,000 were imprisoned without the right of due process. Many who were arrested fell under Lincoln's order that "all persons who discouraged enlistments or was disloyal" to the north would come under martial law and be heald in military jails until the war's end.

Sixty-four years earlier, John Adams signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts which, in the sedition part of it, disallowed writing, printing, or publication of anything critical of the president or Congress. The acts were later ruled unconstitutional as the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants all citizens the right to free speech, which was squealched under Adams' legislation.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt imprisoned 110,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans under executive order #9066 in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. It wasn't until forty years later that, under Ronald Reagan's guidance, America accepted blame for the internment and proceeded with restitution for those who were interred or their children.

There are other less notable presidents that have violated civil liberties that caused controversy at the time, but fail to be mentioned in Liberal circles. Woodrow Wilson jailed thousands of World War I critics which included Socialist leader Eugene Debs. He also banned the German language from being tought in public schools.

On the topic of surveillance, Nixon and LBJ always get the attention, but Presidents Carter and Clinton deserve equal amounts. Jimmy Carter signed an executive order that said, the "Attorney General is authorized to approve electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information without a court order." This sounds quite similar to today's controversy. Bill Clinton legalized spying and warrantless searches of public housing following the Oklahoma City bombing. Less publicized was his Communications Decencies Act which, among other things legally discouraged talk of abortion on the internet. It is also less known that President Clinton was the first to authorize rendition, the transportation of criminals to other countries for the purpose of torture. Pro-Lifers (and sensible-minded people) could also make the assertion that he violated the right to life provided by the Constitution when he made legal partial-birth abortion, but that's a topic for another day.

It is easy to pick and pull events from history that support your argument, which folks like Ariana Huffington seem to be good at. Provided here are examples of presidents acting unconstitutionally, in times, for the sake of national security. If Liberals are calling for the impeachment of President Bush, they might want to look at the past actions of presidents and consider the time period. If an impeachment of Bush is what they want, is it safe to assume they would also call for the removal of Lincoln, FDR, Carter, and Clinton?