Your May 30 editorial presented two issues of grave concern, but connecting these alarming problems in this particular example undermined the impact of the argument.

You engaged in a logical leap, without supporting data, based perhaps not so much on the present instance (the outrageous arrest of Ed Miller for protecting the identity of his clients), but perhaps fears that police powers superseding civil protections may become commonplace in similar situations in the future.

This arrest was a travesty and an abuse of power, the stuff of nightmares and old movies about tyranny. In fact, given the harm done not just to Mr. Miller but to the clients, I believe that the trooper’s actions should result in his suspension or termination, not simply a reprimand.

The administration’s incongruously named Patriot Acts (I and II) are a travesty as well, nothing to do with real patriotism, and everything to do with the erosion of our freedom, taking away our independence under the guise of protecting us – Big Brother doublespeak.

We have become vulnerable to being detained without legal protection, for such things as taking out the wrong library books, or (soon) for donating to a cause which unknown to us provides money accidentally to an organization Ashcroft says (correctly or incorrectly) has terrorist ties.

Congress is permitting civil protections from such occurrences to disappear, and we seem willing to let it happen. But the connection to events such as Mr. Miller’s arrest is not there (yet).

James Cogan, Auburn