Eliot Sherman: A war on the links

I was confused for a long time during this summer because I thought that the president had declared a war on tourism.

I dislike tourists as much as the next guy, as they tend to be disruptive and have an insensitive manner, but I balked at the notion that they warranted their own war. It only took about 500 CNN "Breaking News" stories for me to realize that, in fact, "Amurika declared war on terr'ism" instead.

The main staging area for this war appears to be a fairly innocuous-looking golf course in Kennebunkport, Maine. It is from this vantage point that our commander-in-chief makes bold and heroic statements like, "There are a few killers who want to stop the peace process we have started. We must not let them. Now, watch my drive." No other background screams "we mean business" quite like a luxury 18 holes.

The war on terrorism is a classic case of one hand not knowing what the other is doing -- or alternatively, not caring. While Bush issues firm declarations on birdies and bogies and occasionally acknowledges some sort of conflict in a Middle Eastern galaxy far, far away, the mood at the Justice Department is quite different.

Attorney General John Ashcroft, having run out of nude sculptures to cover up, has been forced to turn his attention to the lesser problems of the day. It seems that he's also had more time at his disposal after he usurped the White House public relations office, and confused just about everyone, by appearing live from several places -- including Moscow -- to announce our impending doom at the hands of something or other.

It was probably around this time that he decided that the only way we can protect ourselves is to round up some foreigners and throw them in jail.

Think I'm kidding? Depending on whom you ask, there are between 100 and 1,000 people being held without bail or trial in the wake of Sept. 11 as part of an "ongoing investigation."

By the way, that's secret Bush talk for "throw away the key."

The Justice Department also refuses to release their names, feeling that this would give al Qaeda a golden opportunity to see who we've captured -- maybe I'm crazy, but it occurs to me that they might have already noticed that the captured members were missing. Justice has been taken to court on this issue but, not surprisingly, its position doesn't appear to be threatened.

It did go so far as to admit that a certain number of those still being held are guilty of "immigration infractions." I would not be surprised if these infractions were as severe as driving while Arab.

I may be alone in finding Ashcroft's behavior unsettling, but a certain quote does come to mind in light of all this, something about a society willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserving neither.

I'm not talking about coddling terrorists or trying to better understand them as human beings. Terrorists commit ungodly crimes and should be locked up for life or executed (preferably in Texas; it would be so much more symbolic that way). But in the wake of tragedy there is always the danger of backlash against those who truly do not deserve it. I'm all for the security of the homeland, but not at that cost.

Unfortunately, Ashcroft has set the precedent for this at the top, and the effects are felt all the way down the line.

Take, for example, a recent incident that occurred on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to our very own Philadelphia. After two air marshals handcuffed and moved a man for acting "disoriented," they proceeded to the front of the cabin, brandished pistols, and informed everybody to stay in their seats for the duration of the flight.

This incident, ominous enough as it was, only got worse after the plane landed. A man named Bob Rajcoomar, who was unfortunate enough to be sitting in the seat next to where the disoriented passenger was moved, was handcuffed and thrown into a foul airport prison cell for three hours before being released without being charged.

The man who was foolish enough to appear disoriented on an airplane was also not charged with anything. The Transportation Security Administration later informed Mr. Rajcoomar that his offense had been watching the incident "too closely."

For the record, Bob Rajcoomar is a physician, a retired Army major and a U.S. citizen.

Incidents like this represent a gross violation of the basic human rights that we hold so dear. Some of you might even wonder what happened to antiquated legal procedures such as, oh, I don't know, due process?

Well, we don't need'em! We've got the war on terrorism. If this summer is any indication, it will keep rolling merrily along, flattening critics whose cries of "civil rights" and "constitutional rights" go largely unheard.

It has become the all-purpose answer to everything: wanna cut taxes? The war on terrorism requires it. Object to the President's environmental policy? Save it. You can't criticize a president in a time of war.

He might lose his focus and miss this next shot.

Eliot Sherman is a sophomore from Philadelphia, Pa.

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