One by-product of advancing technology is the unprecedented ability to collect, analyze, use and store information generated by the day-to-day lives of people. On one hand, this information gathering ability is highly beneficial, creating new efficiencies in, among other things, medicine, credit-granting, shipping and commerce, and even in government.

The civil libertarians who warned about a New McCarthyism in the United States turned out to be right. As in the early 1950s, politicians- abetted by an uncritical press- are using national security as a pretext to take away constitutional rights. Like the Old McCarthyism, the New McCarthyism wants constitutional rights eliminated without due process, based on mere suspicion. Like the Old McCarthyism, the New McCarthyism’s leading advocate happens to be a congressperson named McCarthy.

In the following essay all names, date and locations have been changed to assure anonymity.

Judge Will Gibbons is a senior jurist who is highly regarded across Colorado. On Monday of Thanksgiving week 1996, I received a call from Judge Gibbons; clerk saying the Judge Gibbons wanted to talk with me. Judge Gibbons told me that a case had come before him involving James Forrest who had allegedly drawn a revolver on a peace officer and made verbal threats. The officer and hos partner had responded by ordering the man to drop the gun and surrender. Forrest allegedly refused and raised the weapon, whereupon one officer had fired, wounding him slightly. Forrest was then arrested and jailed after aid treatment in a nearby hospital’s emergency room.