An editorial today in the Los Angeles Times gets it exactly right on the Bush Administration's unprecedented and unparalled secrecy in terrorism matters. From When Justice Goes Mute:

"The American people are losing rights and freedoms each time a federal judge sides with the Bush administration's blanket orders to close courtroom doors, silence detainees or withhold evidence from defense lawyers."

"Last week, a three-judge panel added another notch to the president's victory column by ruling that government agents could shut down a U.S.-based Islamic charity and then refuse to give any evidence to defense lawyers -- or the public -- of the group's alleged links to international terrorists."

"The Global Relief Foundation, based in Illinois, is one of the world's largest Islamic charities. The president insists that it was directing contributions to terrorists. In December 2001, U.S. Treasury agents froze its bank accounts and confiscated computers."

"Maybe Global Relief does aid terrorists. Maybe it doesn't, as the organization's lawyers insist. But by letting the government keep secret its evidence, the judges have rendered worthless the group's constitutional due process rights, including the right to contest these allegations. "If there is ... evidence," the charity's lawyer said, "it's evidence I've never seen."

"American citizens should be more than a little alarmed at a lengthening chain of decisions in which judges sanction presidential actions shredding constitutional rights and limiting the openness that democracy needs to function."

There's more, but this is the gist, and it is something more people need to wake up to. We have a President and an Attorney General who are trampling constitutional rights and too few are complaining because it's not happening to them....yet.

(link via Buzzflash)