It’s a cold January night, with Orion hunting high above,
mists on the horizon… and frog songs in the air. Our native Pacific Tree Frogs,
*Hyla regilla*, are out on the make. Just one at first, then another, then, in
a few seconds, all have joined the raucous chorus.
Fully grown, these little guys are no bigger than my thumb,
but they’ve quite a voice to call for their gals. And when their sperm joins
the eggs laid at the edge of the water, Hyla regilla heads back to the woods.
Soon pollywogs hatch, grow legs, and, if you are lucky, inhabit your garden
with an appetite for insects.
Two things to remember about these frogs: Alone, the call of a single frog could be
mistaken for a testosteronic cricket, but their many voices, raised together,
can be heard a mile away. Their song has power in numbers. Second, like most
frogs, they are indicators of environmental health. When their home gets too
toxic, the frogs stop croaking and “croak.”
Take a lesson from nature as you consider the USA PATRIOT
Act (USAPA.) There’s poison upstream in America, and it’s headed our way. If
you think you’re safe, being a non-terrorist American citizen, take a closer
look. Google-search it, and read some of analyses (especially at
www.truthout.org), but be advised: USAPA lets the government keep track of your
search topics, if needed to prove you are part of a terrorist organization.
Consider this: USAPA was born of fear bordering on panic.
Its 342 pages raced through Congress without hearings, debate, or reports in
the six weeks after the 9-11 attack, when Congressional offices were being
scrubbed for anthrax. It repeals post-Watergate prohibitions against the CIA
spying on citizens, blurring the distinction between real terrorists and
dissidents (like Martin Luther King.) It violates civil rights of racially
profiled immigrants (e.g. unlimited detention without formal charges), allows
use of secret evidence, curbs judicial oversight, and invades financial and
student records.
USAPA gives the Feds more power to snoop your library activity,
but your librarian is forbidden to tell you if they do. It reinstates
provisions from earlier legislation already ruled unconstitutional. To make
sure this Constitution shredding survives, President Bush, having control of
Congress, has begun the appointment of judges once considered too reactionary.
Nixon’s “Law and Order” repression is reborn. (Lest you think this is my
leftist paranoia, consider Texas Republican and former House Majority Leader
Dick Armey, who helped scuttle Ashcroft’s proposal to use mailmen for domestic
surveillance. Armey asked, ''Are we going to save ourselves from international
terrorism in order to deny the fundamental liberties we protect to ourselves?
It doesn't make sense.")
Responding to the horror and loss of 9-11, Americans are
willing to accept reasonable limits on their freedom. But USAPA is simply
overkill, a sinister exploitation of the 9-11 tragedy. Remember, Germany’s
transition to Nazi police state didn’t happen overnight. British Parliamentarian Edmond Burke understood
this, saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men
to do nothing.” This is *not* the time for true patriots to remain silent!
Petaluma can speak up and support the movement to reform
USAPA by enacting the resolution proposed by the Petaluma Civil Rights Defense
Group. They will be making a presentation to the City Council this Monday,
February 10th, 7PM, City Hall. But why should the City Council spend
precious time on *another* non-local topic? First, it’s an historically
important issue, at the very foundation of our government. A lot of people, of
all political stripes, care about that. More importantly, the resolution will
help protect Petaluma citizens from USAPA abuse by directing the Petaluma
Police Department to monitor and report to the Council the Department’s
knowledge of how USAPA is being applied in Petaluma.
Petaluma won’t be a lone voice. Other cities have passed
similar resolutions. Together, we’ll be calling out for the survival of our
nation, not as an Orwellian state, but as the home of free and fearless people.
Together, our small voices will be heard. So hop on down to City Hall and
exercise your hard won rights to protect your rights. Let freedom ring. Don’t
let it croak!