Following the events of Sept. 11, the United States started cracking down on people who identify as Muslims. At airports, travelers who could be profiled as Muslims were often subjected to more scrutiny.
Under President George W. Bush, the Patriot Act was passed almost unanimously. Only one vote was cast against it in the U.S. Senate. That law, which made it easier to pursue people the government claimed were terrorists, stayed on the books for 17 years.
Shortly after it was passed, David Cole appeared on the program to discuss his book 'Enemy Aliens: Double Standards and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism.' At the time, Cole was a law professor at Georgetown University.
Here's a quote from my conversation that day with David Cole. He stated: 'When the government targets foreign nationals and uses immigration law and seems to be only going after them, not us, we should not rest assured that our rights will not be next.'
Today, our government is tracking down foreign nationals, undocumented immigrants who are being incarcerated and then deported from this country in large numbers. Perhaps you are thinking there's no need to worry — I'm not one of them? Remember that statement from David Cole. If they can treat others that way, it is only a short distance toward mistreating U.S. citizens.
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The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, Wright Memorial Public Library, and Tipp City Public Library.
