Bob Barr vs. the FBI by Nat Hentoff
"The FBI, seemingly, takes an absurdly narrow view of what kind of tactics would, in fact, chill speech. . . . For instance, Joe Parris, an FBI spokesman, told The New York Times that, because 'no one was dragged from their homes and put under bright lights,' interviews of potential demonstrators are not chilling.

"So," says Barr, "now we know the administration's new First Amendment standard: So long as the government agents don't 'drag you from your home' and interrogate you 'under bright lights,' you have nothing to complain or worry about . . . such tactics usher in an era of intolerance and fear that has no place in American politics."

- posted by SARTRE @ 2:37 PM