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Repeal Patriot Act I, Stop Patriot Act IIPassed hastily after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on our country, and during a time of fear, the Patriot Act was a heinous assault on our Constitutional rights. The Patriot Act did not come about after a careful examination of the failures and deficiencies of the law enforcement and intelligence agencies that led to the attacks. Instead, the Act was made up of a collection of old policies written during the Reagan and George Bush Sr. years. These stale ideas were dusted off, draped in the flag, mixed with the fear of the day and presented as the reactionary tools required to combat further terrorist acts. The fact that this act passed at all should send warnings that our elected officials in Washington, and are not concerned with preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution of the United States. In particular, the Patriot Act pretty much removes any semblance of due process, violates the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendments, and unacceptably mixes aspects of criminal investigations with aspects of immigration and foreign intelligence laws. In other words, whom do we fear more: the terrorists or our own lawmakers, particularly Attorney General John Ashcroft and pResident George Bush? Even though the full implications of the Patriot Act are scarcely understood, the shamelessly arrogant neoconservatives in the George W. Bush administration aren't done yet. They are gearing up to restrict our rights of citizenship - our freedom of association, our rights to due process and appeal, and our access to information even further with Patriot Act II. They have had Patriot Act II in the wings for a while, looking to pass it when the public is either distracted by another national security issue or whipped into a frenzy after their fawning and obedient media spread the requisite disinformation. It seems they may get their window of opportunity in the wake of the Iraq war. Just today (May 21, 2003) the hokey Homeland Security terror alert was moved up to orange. Yet the Bush administration implied that the war on Iraq would lower the possibility of terrorist attacks. Now here we are with an orange alert and numerous officials have talked about imposing Martial Law if it rises to red. We can expect the fear mongering and stupid colored alerts to continue right up to the 2004 election. With nothing of relevance to offer the vast majority of rational voters, the Bush handlers will ensure that the public is kept in a state of fear and distraction right up to Election Day. Throughout this time John Ashcroft will keep Patriot Act II in the shadows waiting for the opportune moment to further shred the Constitution, all in the interest of national security of course. How to Stop the Patriot ActsIf we wish to preserve what is left of our rights, we must start working NOW to stop Patriot Act II, and possibly even repeal the original Patriot Act. David Valdes Greenwood has outlined seven ways to fight this insidious bill. His ideas are presented below. Follow this link to read the full story: The War at Home "Before it is too late to respond, protest coalitions must take immediate and sustained action. Here are seven suggestions for how they can do so. 1) Form true coalitions. In order to preserve their ability to organize freely and make positive change, coalitions need to put differences aside and work together, using all their organizational power for a campaign with breadth and depth. 2) Learn marketing. The Bush administration has demonstrated the value of compact phrases ( " compassionate conservatism " ). It has also shown how to stay on message, repeating core arguments until they define the debate, and exhibit a discipline that the left needs to mimic. 3) Get out the word on American freedoms. With clarity of message - American freedoms are in danger - extensive e-mail and phone chains must send urgent updates on this issue, as far and wide as possible. 4) Tell Congress the word is out. Protest coalitions should let Congress know that word of particular legislation has gone out and, when possible, they should tell legislators how many people in their districts have been alerted. Then, individual citizens should contact their representatives, preferably by personal letter or phone call, making the stakes clear. 5) Make actions visible and sustained. While valuable, an e-mail campaign can be dismissed as a " one-off " event, and legislators often hide behind the claim that voters who do not visit, call, or write personal letters are not that invested. Protests must be personal and visible, with actions at the offices of legislators and public rallies, both urban and rural, and must continue after the first wave of passion has subsided. 6) Broaden the base. Protest coalitions must reach beyond their natural affinity groups to join forces with others who, as fellow Americans, have a stake in defending our freedoms. If left-heavy protest coalitions cannot see allies in fellow citizens of other political bents, the movement will likely stall. 7) Bring in the voters. Because forestalling one bill is unlikely to change the ideological agenda of those in power, it's up to the citizenry to change who is in power at all levels. Coalitions must convince the unregistered that it is imperative that they register, and convince those who are registered that they must vote to protect their civil liberties. If our strongest coalition leaders cannot yet see the urgency of responding
to the legislative situation, it may be up to their members to drive the
point home. Across the nation, millions have recently learned how make
to their voices heard. They should do so now within the movement, for
when we guarantee our own freedom, we are best able to defend the freedom
of others."
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Links to Patriot Act I & II Articles and InformationThe Patriot Act II Text - The full bill in pdf format from Public Integrity. (could take time to download) Patriot Act II (draft) at the Daily Rotten Repeal the USA Patriot Act first of a six-part article from Truthout.com Bracing for Bush's War at Home by the Village Voice Patriot II: The Sequel Why It's Even Scarier than the First Patriot Act USA Patriot Act: A Dreadful Act II by Common Dreams PATRIOT Act II takes care of the rest of your pesky civil liberties at Online Journal How Patriot 2 Further Erodes Basic Checks on Government Power (DOC), ACLU, March 20, 2003. Patriot Act II Also Limits the Public’s Right-to-Know at OMB Watcher The USA PATRIOT Act - Electronic Privacy Information Center. A great resource for Patriot Act I & II information. |
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