Sunday, February 15, 1998

Independent counsel is exceeding call of justice

By Jack Townsley

May God help us. This should be the plea of outraged citizens everywhere because it appears that our Department of Justice is sick!

All of our lives ideally, as parents, we teach our children that nothing is too personal -- good or bad -- to share with us; that we may not approve of their actions or ideas but we will always be there for them with our unconditional love.

Now, Kenneth Starr's independent counsel "vendetta" is attempting to destroy this special parent-child relation by using his unlimited subpoena power. Shame on him for forcing the mother of Monica Lewinsky to reveal secrets that may have been confessed to her with the confidence that this is "mom-daughter talk."

The sad fact is, this outrageous act is apparently done with the blessing of our Justice (?) Department. Attorney General Janet Reno gave Starr the power; Reno can stop him, if she so desires. Although Starr's independent counsel may be operating under the guise of legal powers granted by Congress and sanctioned by the Justice Department, his actions reflect the Gestapo tactics used by the fascist nations that led to World War II and resulted in the battlefield deaths of more than 250,000 Americans and expenditure of $350 billion American dollars.

The beliefs and dreams and freedom from fear enumerated in our Constitution and Bill of Rights are worthy of risking life and jail time for. I would rot in a cell before Starr, or anyone else, could force me to divulge noncriminal information given to me in confidence by my daughter.

For me, this is not a partisan political issue; it is a matter of justice. If our congressional representatives are not willing to correct the flaws and curb the powers of the so-called independent counsel, then they should allow it to die a natural death when it comes up for renewal next year.

Wake up, fellow citizens and parents; time may be running out -- you could be next.

Jack Townsley, of Abilene, is former Taylor County Veterans Services Officer.