To the Editor,I could not have been more pleased with the letter written by Mr. Heeren which ran last week.I used to work at that radio station, and while I cannot blame the personnel at that studio on the hill for following orders, I wish they hadn't. But as they say, don't bite the hand that feeds you. It's not the fault of Bruce, Roger or Jay. It's probably not even Steve's fault.This trend toward silencing people who speak out against the Bush administration should alarm every American citizen. Though I have strongly disagreed with many people who have written letters to this publication, fiercely even, at times, I would never mount a campaign to force Roger and Lori to stop publishing their views. Attorney General John Ashcroft's Patriot Act is McCarthyism clad in the titanium armor of self-defense. It is a response to the horrendous 9/11 attacks, but it oversteps its bounds. It allows for broader wire-tapping abilities, at times without the permission of the judiciary, encourages neighbors to spy on one another, and seeks to limit people's access to legal recourse when accused of a crime, even if one is an American citizen. Does that sound like America to you?Mr. Heeren makes a great point about the Iraqi woman imprisoned for dissenting in Iraq. The Bush Administration is having a hard time finding evidence to justify this war. It was originally about weapons of mass destruction, and the grave threat that Iraq posed to the United States and its allies. When no WMD were used or found, it quickly became a mission to "liberate Iraq."After we granted the Iraqis "liberty", our troops shot 17 protesters who were exercising their newfound rights as "free citizens". As Mr. Heeren said, so much for freedom of speech.I don't care much for new country music, but I think I might go out and buy a Dixie Chicks album.And don't feel bad, Leroy. I'm sure that I've been on the FBI's watch list since I was 16. It's a thing of honor.Matthew HoilandBloomington
