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To: Oeconomicus who wrote (157386)	5/20/2003 3:08:22 PM
From: GST	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 164684

aclu.org

To: Oeconomicus who wrote (157386)	5/20/2003 5:04:41 PM
From: GST	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

Eliminating liberties can't be best way to secure nation Austin American Statesman; Austin, Tex.; May 16, 2003; AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF; Start Page: A14 Companies: Department of Justice NAICS:922130 Sic:9300 NAICS:922130 Abstract: After the so-called Patriot Act II proposal from the U.S. Justice Department was leaked this year, the hue and cry was so loud that the idea of introducing it in Congress was abandoned. But the provisions written into the draft of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, as Patriot Act II was officially dubbed, are still around. They would give the government more power to obtain personal records, bank statements and other data without court oversight; allow more secret arrests and official surveillance; and give the attorney general the power to strip American citizenship from anyone supporting a terrorist group. Full Text: Copyright Austin American Statesman May 16, 2003 After the so-called Patriot Act II proposal from the U.S. Justice Department was leaked this year, the hue and cry was so loud that the idea of introducing it in Congress was abandoned. But the provisions written into the draft of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, as Patriot Act II was officially dubbed, are still around. They would give the government more power to obtain personal records, bank statements and other data without court oversight; allow more secret arrests and official surveillance; and give the attorney general the power to strip American citizenship from anyone supporting a terrorist group. This extension of the 2001 Patriot Act is abhorrent to millions, including groups representing both the left and right of the political spectrum. Even as the original Patriot Act comes under fire for going too far to restrict civil liberties, the Justice Department is planning another assault. Because Patriot Act II was too roundly denounced to survive intact, Attorney General John Ashcroft and others in the Bush administration are trying to pass it in pieces. That way, the legislation is harder to track and easier to slide through the political process without drawing attention. For example, a bill that passed the Senate last week included granting the government power to obtain secret warrants for the arrest of terror suspects not connected to a group. Opponents of Patriot Act II expect more of these stealth bills to sneak through the system this year. The danger, of course, is that this country's hard-fought and cherished liberties will be chipped away a piece at a time. No one bill or provision may cause a popular uproar, but in the end, the result is the same: fewer protections for the individual, fewer privacy rights, and more secret arrests and detentions. It doesn't take a civil liberties lawyer to know that this isn't good for the country. There have to be better ways to guarantee national security than to eliminate the individual's right to liberty and privacy. In the meantime, if the Patriot Act II is too draconian to pass on its merits, certainly its separate provisions should be heavily scrutinized, too.