Three groups with historically little regard for efforts to protect the physical safety of Americans — the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU — have joined forces against the NYPD’s anti-terrorism efforts.
Which is probably the least surprising development in the “scandal” whipped up by The Associated Press over the NYPD’s ongoing efforts to keep New Yorkers safe from terrorism.
Birds of a feather, and all that.
The groups are demanding a federal probe into reports that New York’s Finest used part of some $135 million doled out by the White House to fund surveillance of suspected terrorists.
Or, as the NYCLU put it: “The NYPD is spying on countless innocent Muslims up and down the Eastern Seaboard.”
Apparently, the groups have had some success: Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress last Tuesday that the Justice Department is beginning a review that could lead to a full-scale investigation.
Police should only monitor private citizens, Holder said, “when there is a basis to believe that something inappropriate is occurring or potentially could occur.”
But that pretty much describes exactly what the NYPD is doing.
And all evidence points to the fact that the NYPD’s surveillance, while aggressive, has stayed well within legal boundaries.
But for CAIR and the civil-liberties unions, any surveillance is evil — and anyone who comes under it is automatically innocent and blameless.
Which is why they couldn’t care less about the fact that the NYPD has foiled 14 terror plots against New York City — still Target No. 1 on the terrorist hit list.
As Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said: “Not everyone is going to be happy with everything the police department does — that’s the nature of our business. But our primary mission, our primary goal, is to keep this city safe, to save lives.”
No one — save CAIR, the ACLU and the NYCLU, no doubt — would dispute that.
We strongly suspect that most New Yorkers agree. Which almost certainly explains why top officials — including many who normally can’t wait to piggyback onto a civil-liberties crusade — aren’t joining in.
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, for example, has rejected calls for his office to investigate.
And City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Sen. Chuck Schumer are openly endorsing the NYPD’s actions.
“Unless we know that laws were broken or someone’s civil liberties were violated, I do not think the NYPD should stop the practice,” Quinn said Monday. Good for her.
Even Team Obama — including Holder — is staying fairly neutral, refusing to offer an opinion on the NYPD’s actions.
As we’ve said before, the NYPD is doing its job, addressing the ongoing threat; anything less would be irresponsible.
And never mind what AP, CAIR and the ACLU believe.