Liberals and Conservatives Unite Against Patriot Act
Five Reasons Conservatives Should Support a Robust Debate on the Patriot Act:
1. The Fourth Amendment - Search and seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
2. Section 213 of the Patriot Act enables the government to get court authorization to secretly search a person’s home or office, secretly seize their possessions, and not inform the person of the search or seizure for weeks or months. Secret searches violate Americans’ Fourth Amendment freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
3. Section 215 of the Patriot Act enables the government to a rubber stamp, secret court process to collect medical, financial, library, and other personal records such as firearms purchases, whether or not you are suspected of a crime related to national security. By enabling the government to collect personal information without strong evidence of crime, it not only violates Americans’ Fourth Amendment freedoms, but removes traditional checks and balances on government power.
4. The Patriot Act should be focused on real terrorists, not Americans critical of government policy. But, section 802 of the Patriot Act defines domestic terrorism as “any act that is dangerous to human life,” involves a violation of any state or federal law, and is intended to influence government policy or coerce a civilian population. This overbroad definition could sweep in pro-life demonstrators, among others.
5. The extraordinary powers granted to law enforcement by the Patriot Act can and will be used by subsequent administrations, including those with which we may disagree. None of us can predict how those powers might be used or abused. One branch of government shouldn’t be given virtually unfettered power over when and how the government can intrude on our right to privacy.
http://www.checksbalances.org/
Groups Urge Partial Lapse Of Patriot Act
Bloomberg NewsWednesday, March 23, 2005; Page A06
An unusual coalition of conservative groups and the American Civil Liberties Union opened a public campaign yesterday to scale back the enhanced surveillance powers granted to law enforcement after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The alliance, Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, urged Congress to let sections of the USA Patriot Act expire at year's end and modify what it called other "extreme provisions" of the law. Sixteen provisions, all related to surveillance powers, will expire Dec. 31 unless Congress extends them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/articles/A58068-2005Mar22.html
1. The Fourth Amendment - Search and seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
2. Section 213 of the Patriot Act enables the government to get court authorization to secretly search a person’s home or office, secretly seize their possessions, and not inform the person of the search or seizure for weeks or months. Secret searches violate Americans’ Fourth Amendment freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
3. Section 215 of the Patriot Act enables the government to a rubber stamp, secret court process to collect medical, financial, library, and other personal records such as firearms purchases, whether or not you are suspected of a crime related to national security. By enabling the government to collect personal information without strong evidence of crime, it not only violates Americans’ Fourth Amendment freedoms, but removes traditional checks and balances on government power.
4. The Patriot Act should be focused on real terrorists, not Americans critical of government policy. But, section 802 of the Patriot Act defines domestic terrorism as “any act that is dangerous to human life,” involves a violation of any state or federal law, and is intended to influence government policy or coerce a civilian population. This overbroad definition could sweep in pro-life demonstrators, among others.
5. The extraordinary powers granted to law enforcement by the Patriot Act can and will be used by subsequent administrations, including those with which we may disagree. None of us can predict how those powers might be used or abused. One branch of government shouldn’t be given virtually unfettered power over when and how the government can intrude on our right to privacy.
http://www.checksbalances.org/
Groups Urge Partial Lapse Of Patriot Act
Bloomberg NewsWednesday, March 23, 2005; Page A06
An unusual coalition of conservative groups and the American Civil Liberties Union opened a public campaign yesterday to scale back the enhanced surveillance powers granted to law enforcement after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The alliance, Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, urged Congress to let sections of the USA Patriot Act expire at year's end and modify what it called other "extreme provisions" of the law. Sixteen provisions, all related to surveillance powers, will expire Dec. 31 unless Congress extends them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/articles/A58068-2005Mar22.html
posted by Matthew at 11:32 AM
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