WASHINGTON -- The first priority for all our governments must be the elimination of terrorism, but in the process we must do what we can to preserve our basic freedoms and human rights.
There are signs that both the U.S. and British governments may be taking steps that are unnecessarily extensive and taking powers that could be misused. The proposed legislation must be scrutinized and adequate safeguards built put in place. Any measures involving arrest and detention without trial in particular should be subject to judicial review and should have sunset clauses ensuring that they can only be renewed for limited periods after parliamentary or congressional approval.
Current circumstances make it inevitable that the right to privacy may have to be curtailed. If eavesdropping, viewing e-mail and reporting financial transactions will help to uncover terrorist plans, then we must to accept such steps. but the old Latin tag "quis custodet custodes," which may be translated as "who supervises the guards," must always be born in mind. We also need to remember another relevant saying: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." So let us ensure by proper judicial review and parliamentary scrutiny that politicians and civil servants do not abuse their new powers of oversight.