|
The Washington Post – February 9, 2004
Rebellion against the Patriot Act
By Nat Hentoff
There has been insufficient national media attention to an important bill to revise sections of the Patriot Act that Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, a vigorous conservative, introduced -- with bipartisan sponsorship -- on Oct. 15:The SAFE Act (the Security and Freedom Insured Act). Attorney General John Ashcroft wrote urgently to Sen. Orrin Hatch, Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, of his strong objections to the bill.
In introducing the bill, Mr. Craig said: "I spend a lot of time on the ground in my home state of Idaho, and regardless of the pride Idahoans have in the success of the war on terrorism, many of them continue to raise concerns about the tools being used in that war." He cited the Patriot Act among those concerns that "are shared by a wide regional and political spectrum." The SAFE Act's bipartisan cosponsors include Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat.
Among the groups supporting the SAFE Act's revisions to the Patriot Act are the American Conservative Union, the Gun Owners of America, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Free Congress Foundation and the American Library Association.
In a letter to the Senate, these groups emphasize that "the SAFE Act would prevent fishing expeditions into sensitive personal records by requiring that the records sought in foreign intelligence investigations pertain to an alleged spy, terrorist or other foreign agent."
Right now, these Patriot Act critics say, "Federal agents can get a court to order that anyone's library, bookstore or other records be turned over regardless of whether there is any suspicion about the person whose records are turned over." Though Mr. Ashcroft says he hasn't used that provision to search library records, he hasn't said he would not.
These fishing expeditions by the FBI have become even more extensive. On Dec. 13, President Bush signed the 2004 Intelligence Authorization Act, which includes a provision giving the FBI the power -- without having to go to any judge -- to obtain a wide range of personal records through the greatly expanded use of the national security letters.
These letters, in the form of administrative subpoenas, allow the FBI to obtain such business records as data from financial institutions, credit card companies, airlines, stockbrokers and the U.S. Post Office. With no judicial supervision, these records are gathered and searched regarding persons who may be "relevant" to a national security investigation.
"More than two centuries ago," the Jan. 20 Boston Globe reports "the patriots of Brewster (Mass.) shut down the Colonial courts on Cape Cod in one of the first acts of resistance" to King George III. Now, the Brewster Town Meeting "has formally condemned the ... USA Patriot Act, united against the laws of a different leader named George." So have 236 towns, cities and counties in 37 states, through Bill of Rights Defense Committee resolutions.
Congress has heard from these Americans. They must hear from more citizens to secure the liberties the president always assures us we are fighting to protect from the terrorists.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040208-102841-7428r.htm
|
