One should probably not be shocked, of course, but it is still worth noting that the Knight-Ridder newspapers have documented the fact that the Justice Department has for years inflated its terrorist-related arrest-and-conviction statistics – and has continued to do so since Sept. 11. Cases cited as terrorism-related in reports to Congress have included erratic behavior by people with mental illnesses, passengers getting drunk on airplanes, and convicts rioting to get better food. Apparently even before Sept. 11 the Justice Department found it easier to squeeze more money out of Congress by creating the impression that terrorism was a huge problem. Hmmmm. If we could only get the department to view political corruption as terrorism that undermines credibility and support for the powers that be, it might do some good for a change.
