Republican Leadership Ready to Attack Our Civil Liberties Again

[shraby]

Last year, during the 1st session of the 108th Congress, the Republican leadership slipped a provision into the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2004 (which mainly appropriates the funds to the intelligence organizations.) This was done behind closed doors. Who on the House Judiciary Committee would vote against this nonpartisan bill? This bill was needed to pass as it has every year. What wasn’t needed was a provision taken from the leaked draft of Ashcroft’s Domestic Security Enhancement Act (DSEA.) This provision expanded the already far-reaching USA PATRIOT Act by easing the FBI’s ability to acquire "financial" records with nothing more than an easily drafted National Security Letter (NSL.) It also broadened the definition of "financial institution" to include insurance companies, real estate agencies, stockbrokers, car dealerships, pawnbrokers and more. This had the effect of further eroding what was left of our civil liberties after the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. So there it was -- Ashcroft’s dream – a portion of the ill-fated DSEA brought to fruition.

Now, it is happening again. It is time for the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2005 to come before the House Intelligence Committee. This is scheduled for June 16. This time portions of the Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Tools Improvement Act of 2003 (HR 3179) is planned to be slipped into this intelligence (mostly basic funding) bill again. Like last session, this will be done behind closed doors by Bush’s Republican leadership with almost no debate or discussion. This time it will also include some provisions from the DSEA such as abridging the fifth and fourteenth amendments for immigrants by use of secret information from National Security Letters that are used in immigration proceedings. It will also provide for penalties for failing to cooperate with the FBI when it requests issuance of National Security Letters, demanding private information. These are just more provisions the FBI does not need added to their tool belt of anti-terrorism measures. The provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that are due to expire on December 12, 2005 have not even had a chance to be reviewed yet. This review step is necessary first to determine if these "hurried through" provisions were necessary or just plain Orwellian. Is this just another secret expansion of this administration’s power over the people?

(more)
<http://www.opednews.com/lewis060804_civil_liberties.htm>

[punpirate]

1. I hope a whole lot of Repugs get caught up in these...

... "modifications" of law. That's the way to get their repeal through.

And, yes, it's just a secret expansion of the administration's power over people. The DSEA was yet another wish list which has little to do with fighting terrorism, and all to do with subverting rights.

[Mnemosyne]

2. get sooo tired of those that say, if you have nothing to hide...

[dmr]

3. and you know, that statement can be thrown right back at them

if you have nothing to hide then what's the problem?

[Eric J in MN]

4. Is your Rep. listed here?

These are the members of the House Intelligence Committee.

Please tell them you want more restrictions on "National Security Letters," which are search-warrants the Justice Dept. issues with no judicial approval.

You don't want people put in jail for not complying with a search-warrant issued by the Executive Branch. Search-warrants should require a judicial finding of just-cause.

Porter J. Goss Republican Florida
Doug Bereuter Republican Nebraska
Sherwood L. Boehlert Republican New York
Jim Gibbons Republican Nevada
Ray LaHood Republican Illinois
Randy "Duke" Cunningham Republican California
Peter Hoekstra Republican Michigan
Richard Burr Republican North Carolina
Terry Everett Republican Alabama
Elton Gallegly Republican California
Mac Collins Republican Georgia
Jane Harman Democrat California
Alcee L. Hastings Democrat Florida
Silvestre Reyes Democrat Texas
Leonard L. Boswell Democrat Iowa
Collin C. Peterson Democrat Minnesota
Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr Democrat Alabama
Anna G. Eshoo Democrat California
Rush D. Holt Democrat New Jersey
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Democrat Maryland