From: perlman@qso.Colorado.EDU (Eric S. Perlman)
Subject: Re: Who should be spied on...
Keywords: hypocritical pig
Nntp-Posting-Host: qso.colorado.edu
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Lines: 49

In article <C5vzDv.Mxw.1@cs.cmu.edu> anwar+@cs.cmu.edu (Anwar Mohammed) writes:
>In article <C5sDCK.38n@news.cso.uiuc.edu> eshneken@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (Edward A Shnekendorf) writes:
>>anwar+@cs.cmu.edu (Anwar Mohammed) writes:
>>
>>>In article <4815@bimacs.BITNET> ehrlich@bimacs.BITNET (Gideon Ehrlich) writes:
>>>>The readers of this forum seemed to be more interested in the contents
>>>>of those files.
>>>>So It will be nice if Yigal will tell us:
>>>>1. Why do American authorities consider Yigal Arens to be dangerous?
>>
>>>ADL authorities seem to view a lot of people as dangerous, including
>>>the millions of Americans of Arab ancestry.  Perhaps you can answer
>>>the question as to why the ADL maintained files and spied on ADC members
>>>in California (and elsewhere??)?  Friendly rivalry perhaps?
>>
>>Come on!  Most if not all Arabs are sympathetic to the Palestinian war 
>>against Israel.  That is why the ADL monitors Arab organizations.  That is
>>the same reason the US monitored communist organizations and Soviet nationals
>>only a few years ago.  
>>
>
>The ADC is an organization of Arab-*AMERICANS*.
>
>Let me see...you're saying that "most if not all" Arab-AMERICANS should be
>spied on?  You're also saying that "most if not all" Arab-AMERICANS
>should be views as a national security threat to Israel (and the US, 
>as you gratuitously imply in your reference to the WTC bombing, in 
>which no Arab-AMERICANS were involved)?  By inference, can we assume 
>that you think that anyone of Arab lineage anywhere in the world poses 
>a threat to Israel and, therefore, should be spied on?

Like it or not, Edward, Anwar has a very good, valid point.  Obviously,
in presenting it, he (quite legitimately and deliberately) takes a point
of view to an extreme which might not have been what you intended, but
that is one of the best ways to demonstrate a "slippery slope" type of
argument, which I believe was his aim.

I very frankly believe that the ADL will be proved innocent in this
case.  I doubt there's enough evidence to weigh against them even in a
civil court, where preponderance of the evidence, not evidence beyond
any reasonable doubt, is the standard for "winning" such a case.  That,
however, does not prevent me from seeing the merit in Anwar's point. 

Rest deleted.
-- 
"How sad to see/A model of decorum and tranquillity/become like any other sport
A battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee." -Tim Rice,"Chess"
     Eric S. Perlman 				 <perlman@qso.colorado.edu> 
  Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, Boulder
