ACLU: Freedoms suffering during war on terror

DALTON - Americans shouldn&#39;t be forced to give up their freedoms to help the government prevent terrorism, said the president of the American Civil Liberties Union at a college speech. <br> <br> ACLE President Nadine Strossen said there&#39;s no need to choose between national security and personal liberty. <br> <br> ``Contrary to much recent rhetoric, there is no inherent conflict between these two fundamental values of national security and personal liberty,&#39;&#39; Strossen told an audience Thursday at Dalton State College. ``This is not a zero-sum game. Cutbacks on our freedom do not necessarily constitute gains to our safety.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Strossen has criticized anti-terrorism measures, such as the Total Information Awareness project and the Patriot Act, which gave the government broad new anti-terrorism powers to use wiretaps, electronic and computer eavesdropping, searches and the authority to obtain a wide range of other information in its investigations. <br> <br> The Total Information Awareness project allows the government to collect citizen&#39;s personal data from Web sites and health and bank records. <br> <br> ``Not only does this program dwarf even the most extensive surveillance by the most totalitarian regime in history, it makes the former KGB look like a joke in comparison,&#39;&#39; Strossen said. ``It makes even the fictitious Big Brother of George Orwell&#39;s novel &#39;1984&#39; look like a baby brother.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the ACLU has increased its membership by 100,000 members to 400,000 members, she said.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/2/183428