PATRIOT-NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD: One hearing. That’s the halfhearted response Pennsylvania’s government gave to one of the biggest news stories this fall when it came to light a state agency had been paying for Big Brother-esque monitoring of private citizens and political action groups.
For a year, the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security was using taxpayer dollars to pay a private firm, the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response, to spy on members of the tea party, environmentalists concerned about Marcellus Shale drilling, gay rights paraders and even state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County. ITRR produced bulletin write-ups suggesting people they monitored were akin to terrorists and criminals. So much for Pennsylvania’s reputation as a beacon of liberty.
Yes, Gov. Ed Rendell apologized the day after the news broke and claimed he knew nothing about it, but he didn’t even go as far as to fire James Powers, the head of the department, let alone anyone else involved. Where was the investigation? … (more)
