In times of crisis it is often useful to look back at the history of our great country to determine what direction to take, or not to take.

In recent weeks The Daily Collegian has published several letters and at least one editorial opinion column Civil liberties should not be sacrificed for securitycolumn, written by Mike Still in the October 5 Collegian, warning us of the dangers of restricting civil liberties in times of uncertainty.

In 1798 Congress enacted a set of four laws known as the Alien and Sedition Acts.

These acts ordered all aliens to register with the government, allowed for detention and deportation of immigrants based on accusations and made it illegal to write, print or utter "false, scandalous, and malicious" statements against the government.

Ironically, one of the first people to be imprisoned was an Irish born congressman from Vermont, who was jailed for criticizing a political rival — president John Adams.

The framers of the Constitution specifically addressed the rights of the accused and the rights of free speech, and a free press, in the bill of rights. The mistreatment of Japanese citizens during the World War II is well known.

In both cases we later realized our mistakes and repealed the laws and, in some cases, compensated the victims.

My point is, why not learn from these mistakes and refuse to head down the same road?

The anti-terrorism bill that recently passed in both the House and the Senate, and the suggestion that some, or all residents be required to carry an identification card, seems to be taking our country in the same direction.

I am reminded of an old saying "never blame a man for being human, unless he makes a habit of it."

Perhaps we might listen to Benjamin Franklin who said, "People who are willing to give up freedom for the sake of short term security deserve neither freedom nor security."