Abstract

Terrorizing the constitution

April 19, 1996 is far approaching and the U.S. Congress knows it. If the Americans don't have an anti- terrorism law by then, the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, President Bill Clinton will be sure to let the nation know. As a matter of short-term politics, the proposed law gives Clinton a convenient way to look tough on crime, and lets him charge the Republicans with being soft on "terrorism." But the longer-term issue, is whether terrorism today requires us to alter the constitutional balance we have so long maintained between government power and personal freedoms. One need only look at Israel or Great Britain to see that when the threat of terrorism strikes home, personal liberties are often sacrificed in the name of security.