Open Letter to Mr. Bush

Dear President Bush,

The United States of America was founded under certain principles of philosophy, not the least of which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, freedom of religion, separation of church and state, freedom of speech, and equal justice under the law.
I would hope that "The American Way of Life" has not become an idea that is separate or different from the "American Ideals of Freedom".
There is a clause in our Constitution that deals with "due process of law" and the right to a "speedy trial by a jury of peers". I hold that if we, as Americans, truly believe in the philosophies and ideals that our democratic republic government is founded upon, then we also believe that these rights extend to all human beings, not just American citizens.
Any person (citizen or not) accused of a crime deserves a trial with evidence presented before a court, with a jury and a judge, and whatever the findings of the court, the accused must abide by the sentence, provided that the findings are arrived at with fairness to all parties, and in agreement with rules established by society at large.
This does not mean that one representative of one branch of our democratic republic government has any authority to issue a penalty for anyone suspected or accused of any crime.
Your call for Osama bin Laden to be delivered to the United States "dead or alive" is not only uncalled for, but it is a call that exceeds your powers of authority, and ignores the spirit of our constitution.

It is also written in our United States Constitution that only the congress has the power to declare war. Your statements that the certainly criminal acts of the guerrilla fighters against the United States are an act of war are unwarranted, and unconstitutional.

Some of the members of your administration are proposing to change some of the articles of our constitution in the interest of safety, which many would argue are infringements on the civil liberties of our citizens. I would quote the famous words of Patrick Henry that helped to inflame this country's rise and rebellion against the colonization of America by the imperialist regime of Great Brittian: "Give me LIBERTY or give me DEATH."

Sincerely,
Carol Bass
Atlanta, Ga.