The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Barney Frank Makes Me Nervous

Posted on | October 21, 2010 | 7 Comments

“[In March 1987], the ABCC [Alien Border Control Committee] had its first notable success. The CIA tipped off the FBI to a group of suspected Palestinian terrorists in Los Angeles. The Bureau arrested eight men. But instead of being lauded, the Bureau and the Agency came under harsh attack from civil liberties groups who argued that the ABCC should be banned from using any information the CIA gained from the government’s routine processing of visa requests. Congressman Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was a strong advocate of protecting civil liberties, led a successful effort to amend the Immigration and Nationality Acts so that membership in a terrorist group was no longer sufficient to deny a visa. Under Frank’s amendment, which seems unthinkable post-9/11, a visa could only be denied if the government could prove that the applicant had committed an act of terrorism. Rendered toothless by the Frank amendment, the Reagan administration had virtually no way to block entry visas even when there was information linking the individuals to terrorist groups.”
— Gerald Posner, Why America Slept, pp. 16-17

Perhaps now you understand why, when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are wearing “Re-Elect Barney Frank” T-shirts and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Democrats, I get worried. I get nervous.

By the way, I’m available for public radio appearances. Also weddings, birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs.

SEAN BIELAT for U.S. CONGRESS
Let’s Worry About Civil Rights for Terrorists
After We Kill Every Last One of Them

Category: Massachusetts, Sean Bielat, Terrorism

Comments

7 Responses to “Barney Frank Makes Me Nervous”

  1. Adobe_Walls
    October 21st, 2010 @ 4:43 pm

    Joe you are disturbing. I can’t believe that NPR has handed the right this opportunity.