And, yes, I DO take it personally: A CEO speaks out: "If the Patriot Act defines the term 'patriot,' then I am certainly not one."

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And, yes, I DO take it personally

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

A CEO speaks out: "If the Patriot Act defines the term 'patriot,' then I am certainly not one."

(T.J. Rodgers is the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor in San Jose. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.)

I would much rather live as a free man under the highly improbable threat of another significant Al-Qaida attack than I would as a serf, spied on by an oppressive government that can jail me secretly, without charges. If the Patriot Act defines the term ``patriot,'' then I am certainly not one. By far, our own government is a bigger threat to our freedom than any possible menace posed by Al-Qaida.

is this man a flaming liberal...? no... merely a realist...

I don't trust President Bush to honor my rights, nor did I trust President Clinton, who was caught with secret FBI files on his political enemies. It's not that I'm unpatriotic. The founders of our country did not trust any government -- either that of George III or an uncontrolled democracy.

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