The Aldrich Alert Gary Aldrich
A Publication of the Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty

Roundup Time

May 29, 2001

by Gary Aldrich - Volume 2, Issue 29

This article appeared on WorldNetDaily on Saturday, May 25, 2002.

We’re inching closer to that awful anniversary date of Sept. 11, when last year our lives were changed forever. No longer can we assume safety for ourselves or our loved ones. We have joined Israel and Great Britain and other nations who have been victims of a special kind of horror.

For years we watched in relative security as bombs were detonated all over the world – the desperate, evil acts of those who cannot find peaceful means to pursue their political agenda. Meanwhile, we have found a way to tolerate our own homegrown terrorists – the violent criminals who have all but taken over our cities and roam our interstate highways at will. And we have told ourselves that rampant, steady, deadly crime is the price of living in a free society.

If we lose 3,000 citizens in a single day, that’s huge news. But if we lose 20,000 citizens to violent crime over the course of a year, that’s a segment for "America’s Most Wanted" – unless, of course, you’re Chandra Levy’s mom and dad, or one of the loved ones of the victims of violent crime.

Now we have both plagues. But, what steps have been taken by the federal government after they have spent more than eight months investigating terrorists with one of the largest manhunts ever? They’ve had and will continue to have hearings and investigations so that they can avoid another 9-11. They have pointed fingers and shifted the blame. There is a steady parade of cabinet officers, heads of agencies and others to warn us about potential dangers. They can identify specific targets that they believe the terrorists have in mind for their next atrocity.

All these procedures could have a positive outcome, but there is one big thing the FBI and other law enforcement agencies can do right now to give us more protection and mitigate the threat that seems to be growing by the day. It’s so obvious that I know even a hard-left liberal can agree with this:

We can have another roundup of suspects.

Immediately following 9-11, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies did a sweep of all known suspects, mostly illegal aliens who matched a certain description, and as a result, we have been incident free for eight peaceful months. After the arrests, detentions, roundups (call it what you want), the FBI and other agencies continued their search with a massive investigation to learn the identities and whereabouts of additional terrorists.

They’ve been working feverishly around the clock, weekends, holidays – and they have even traveled the globe to identify and track as many terrorists as possible. While our great military does its job, FBI agents pore over documents, examine the results of surveillance and listen to wiretaps.

Now we are being told that bombers can waltz into the Statue of Liberty, or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, or do whatever they want, whenever they want. Meanwhile, the "loyal" opposition is harping on the Bush White House about what they knew before 9-11 and when they knew it.

Both parties seem to have lost direction here. Why isn’t anybody asking the most obvious questions: Where are the rest of the indictments? When are we going to see some more arrests? When are we going to launch the next roundup of illegal-alien suspects?

There is one sure way to eliminate the threat of terrorism: Kill the terrorists or lock them up. Lately, we’ve been distracting ourselves with arguments about who’s at fault for what happened in the past. In the meantime, terrorists – who are mostly illegal aliens – apparently walk and drive on our streets with complete freedom.

Who do these terrorists think they are? Do they think they have the same rights as our own homegrown terrorists? Do we think they have the same rights as our homegrown terrorists? Will flawed logic force us to extend our tolerance for domestic terrorism to illegal aliens?

Do we have to put up with the inaction and timid responses of our federal government because of the fear of possible lawsuits brought about by "profiling" so that a few can continue to worship the god of political correctness?

I don’t know the answer, but my family and I hope somebody can figure this out in a hurry. I know pragmatic people think they have to factor in mainstream-media reactions and those awful, dreaded lawsuits! But sometimes, to save a country, you just "gotta do what ya gotta do!"