people with unpopular views," Doe writes. "I am challenging the
constitutionality of the NSL provision in an effort to protect all of my
clients' interests.
In a memorandum to the court, the ACLU wrote that the statute allowing
the broad use of National Security Letters gives the FBI "unchecked
authority" to require businesses to reveal "a broad array of sensitive
information, including information about the First Amendment activities
of ordinary Americans who are not suspected of any wrongdoing."
The memorandum continues: "The statute does not require the FBI to seek
judicial authorization before demanding the disclosure of sensitive
information, and it does not specify any means by which a person served
with an NSL can challenge the NSLs validity before complying with it. In
other words, the FBI issues NSLs without judicial oversight of any
kind."
ACLU lawyers and their client are also disputing a section of the law
that prohibits an entity that receives a National Security Letter
request for information from telling anyone about the request.
Ironically, this gag order is the same rule that prohibits the ACLU and
John Doe from talking about many aspects of their case."
HYPERLINK
"http://www.counterpunch.org/cassel05292004.html"http://www.counterpunch
.org/cassel05292004.html
Geez. If I were living in America this would certainly give me pause in
airing anti - bush viewpoints anywhere. I remember when you used to be
able to say whatever you liked in the US without fear of being
persecuted/prosecuted simply because what you said went against the
status quo. The article suggests though that many individuals involved
in the civil liberties movement, or who perhaps air antagonistic
political views to the current administration are being targeted for FBI
Surveillance. I just don't think that the notion of, " If you don't have
anything to hide, what's your problem" really holds here. Back when the
Patriot Act first came up, it sparked a lot of debate on the list as to
what it meant for civil liberties. A lot of people were of the opinion
that it posed absolutely no threat to their liberties or their ability
to communicate freely with reasonable expectations of privacy as per the
US constitution.
-Gel
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