-Caveat Lector- Liberty Action of the Week: August 26,2003 The war on civil liberties road show by Mary Lou Seymour
The Justice Department says its traveling road show to tout the benefits of the Patriot Act is intended to combat "misunderstandings" the public has about the sweeping legislation passed almost unanimously by a terrified Congress in the wake of 9-11. Unfortunately for our would be rulers in the dismal swamp of Washington DC, the "public" wasn't as universally cowed by 9-11 and ready to exchange liberty for "security" as Congress was. After a slow start, the movement to form Bill of Rights Defense Committees and pass community resolutions condemning the act as an infringement of civil liberties and even, in some cases, setting fines for those who don't "promptly notify the city manager" if federal law enforcement authorities contact them seeking help in an investigation, interrogation or arrest under the provisions of the act (Communities shun Patriot Act) caught fire and swept through the country. Not only did the civil libertarians and more alert members of the public react strongly to Patriot I, after the initial shock of 9-11 wore off, but when in February 2003 news of the "Son of the Patriot Act," the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, leaked out (War on civil liberties heats up), within days columnists were calling DESA a "Total police state takeover" and noting that this time, unlike the rush to pass Patriot I, there was a "Chilly response to Patriot II." Patriot II then dropped out of the news, presumably in the hope the public would forget all about it in the patriotic fervor surrounding the invasion (whoops, liberation) of Iraq. But throughout America, activists continued quietly lobbying their communities to pass those darn community resolutions, until as of this writing, the ACLU lists more than 150 communities in 28 states, including three state-wide resolutions, "representing approximately 17.4 million people who oppose the USA PATRIOT Act." And then the occupation of Iraq started going sour and Congress began chipping away at the more onerous segments of Patriot I such as "last month's lopsided U.S. House vote forbidding Justice from spending funds to use the act's controversial 'sneak and peak' provision that authorizes federal agents to conduct secret searches of homes and businesses." (Ashcroft's Campaign to Shore Up the Patriot Act) This wasn't supposed to happen, of course. The public and Congress were supposed to not only meekly go along with Patriot I, but accept even more onerous legislation, such as Patriot II. In July, Ashcroft himself, speaking in Anchorage, Alaska (where the state legislature had just passed resolutions protesting the national "anti-terrorism" law) told federal and local officials "the USA Patriot Act should be expanded, not softened." (Toughen Patriot Act, Ashcroft says) So, in desperation, Ashcroft has set off on a whirlwind tour of 18 cities in 10 days, "promoting the USA PATRIOT Act and preparing the public for a sequel." (Highly Watchable) "Brother John's traveling patriot salvation show," as Elaine Cassel of Civil Liberties Watch dubs the publicity tour, is designed to convince law enforcement officials that "preserving security is essential to preserving freedom," as the "Patriot Act campaign" web site "Preserving Life and Liberty" puts it. Oh yeah, they even have a web site. That's for us peons, who won't get to hear what "Brother John" tells the law enforcement officials in their private meetings. Supposedly,as part of the campaign, all 94 U.S. attorneys around the country are being encouraged to hold town hall-style events to discuss the Patriot Act and its role in preventing terror (Ashcroft begins Patriot Act tour), but so far, "Attorney General Ashcroft has chosen to avoid speaking to the American people. Instead he prefers to confine his speaking to hand- picked audiences, thus creating the illusion of agreement and consensus." (Attorney General Ducks Demonstrators on Visit to Iowa's Heartland) Demonstrators have been forced to demonstrate outside the hotel where he spoke in Des Moines, or outside the newly built Constitution Hall in Philadelphia, another city where officials have passed a resolution condemning the anti-terror act. (Ashcroft says Patriot Act Effective) So far, demonstrations have pulled around 100 people. Of course, it's kinda hard to oprganize a demonstration when it isn't even public knowledge which cities are on the "tour list," or where in that city the "private meeting" might be held. In researching this column, I checked numerous sources, and could only find vague references to "18 cities, including Washington, Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Des Moines," or "Ashcroft's tour began in Philadelphia and continued to Ohio yesterday, then to Michigan and Iowa, with other stops planned in coming weeks." But not only is Ashcroft plugging the Patriot Act, he's also setting the stage for the next step in the war on civil liberties ... the VICTORY Act of 2003 (Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations Act of 2003) (Where DO they come up with these Hitleresque names???) Wired calls it "Patriot II resurrected," and notes that the act "includes significant portions of the so-called Patriot Act II, which faced broad opposition from conservatives and liberals alike and embarrassed the Justice Department when it was leaked to the press in February." The Washington Post bluntly calls it the "GOP Victory Act" (it carries the names of Sen. "Horrible" Orrin Hatch and four other Senate Republicans), and the National Consumer National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group warns that the VICTORY legislation is "a grab-bag of enhanced police-state powers." Libertythink has published the June 27 draft of the VICTORY Act, and notes that measures in the 89-page draft include: *Creation of a new category of crime called "Narco-terrorism." *Radical expansion of asset forfeiture powers for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. *Expansion of the definition of money-laundering to several kinds of transactions, including offshore banking as a means of tax evasion. *Creation of a ludicrous new "crime" of "reverse money-laundering." *Longer jail terms for a number of nonviolent drug and nondrug offenses. *Expanded opportunities for judge-shopping in wiretap cases. *Expansion of nonjudicial "administrative subpoenas" for "terrorism" investigations as broadly defined in the USA PATRIOT Act. Whoa. This is sounding even worse than Patriot II. But let's look at the bright side of all of this. Against all odds, community activists, columnists and letter to the editor writers throughout the country have succeeded in getting the Attorney General of the United States to have to leave his office on the Hill and traipse around the country to try to quell the "rebellion" of the anti-Patriot Act movement. First round in the War on Civil Liberties, to our side! We have them on the defensive, and must keep up the pressure. For this week's action, let's do just that. If you find out that "Brother John's" patriot act tour is coming to a city near you, get yourself and anyone you can fit in your car down to the site of the "private meeting" and wave a sign and sing the wonderfully singable satire by Herb Strenz, "John Ashcroft Is Coming To Town." Write a letter to the editor. Call your local talk radio show. If your community hasn't already passed a resolution against the Patriot Act, check out the Community Resolutions page on how to do it. And above all, be proud ... you and countless others across America, who have fought so hard on the "side of good" in Ashcroft's War on Civil Liberties, have WON round one. Let's show our would be "masters" that we can work together, we are not terrified sheep, and we will take back our freedom. Til next week For freedom Mary Lou PS: Check out this week's alternate actions: 70-year-old grandpa defiant in feud with feds over property rights, Remember Shay's Rebellion and Comment on HUD's proposed Homeless Tracking System at the website! And check the Blog for updates ond comments from readers. ===== Communities shun Patriot Act http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030720-115938-3269r.htm List of communities against the Patriot Act http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=11294&c=207 War on civil liberties heats up (Feb.25,03) http://www.rationalreview.com/rationalreviewold/archive/mls/mls022503. html "Total police state takeover" http://www.infowars.com/print_patriotact2_analysis.htm "Chilly response to Patriot II." http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,57636,00.html Patriot Act http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html Patriot II http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/patriot2-hi.pdf GOA analysis of Patriot II http://gunowners.org/patriotii.htm Ashcroft's Campaign to Shore Up the Patriot Act http://www.msnbc.com/news/953414.asp?cp1=1#BODY Toughen Patriot Act, Ashcroft says http://www.adn.com/front/story/3504054p-3535363c.html Highly watchable http://www.reason.com/sullum/082203.shtml Brother John's traveling patriot salvation show http://babelogue.citypages.com:8080/ecassel/2003/08/21 Preserving Life and Liberty (Justice Dept. PR website) http://www.lifeandliberty.gov Ashcroft begins Patriot Act tour http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Ashcroft-Patriot-Act.html Attorney General Ducks Demonstrators on Visit to Iowa's Heartland http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=13351&c=206 Ashcroft says Patriot Act Effective http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/6579893.htm Patriot Act II Resurrected? http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60129,00.html GOP "Victory Act" bill would add anti-terror powers http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22770-2003Aug20.html Beware of VICTORY Act Privacy group warns http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200308 \NAT20030818c.html Victory Act text (June 27,2003 version) http://www.libertythink.com/VICTORYAct.pdf John Ashcroft Is Coming To Town http://www.dmregister.com/opinion/stories/c5917686/22043989.html Community Resolutions http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=11256&c=206 Liberty Activist Bl;og http://22blog.com/libertyaction/ This week's alternate actions http://www.rationalreview.com/mlseymour/082603.shtml www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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