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Sue Ann Martinson, W A M M
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A chill wind is blowing in this nation . . .
—Tim Robbins, Speech to the National Press Club, April 4, 2003
In the heat of post-9/11 fear, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, also referred to as Patriot I, which took away many of our civil liberties under the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
According to Nancy Talanian, “The USA PATRIOT Act gives the FBI and the CIA greater rights to wiretap phones, monitor e-mail, survey medical, financial, and student records, and break into homes and offices without prior notification. It creates a new crime of domestic terrorism that is so broadly defined that it may be applied to citizens acting legally to express their dissent. Under this Act and other legislation, noncitizens are being deported or detained indefinitely without judicial appeal” (“A Guide to Provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and Federal Executive Orders that Threaten Civil Liberties”).
Many of you are perhaps thinking, “I’ve done nothing wrong. I have nothing to worry about.” How many have expressed our opposition to the war in Iraq? Under the PATRIOT Act, we may be defined as “domestic terrorists.” In addition, the FBI has the right to seek records from bookstores and libraries of persons suspected of terrorism and place a gag order to prevent anyone from disclosing that they have been required to turn their records over to the FBI.
Patriot I granted the Executive Branch greatly expanded powers. As if that were not enough, Patriot II (the Domestic Security Enhancement Act) now lurks in the wings, giving the executive branch even more power, as well allowing Patriot I’s provisions to continue indefinitely. Fortunately, in January of this year, an unknown source leaked that Patriot II was in the works, forewarning civil liberties advocates and Congress, who did not know of its existence.
Nothing less is at stake than the core essence of who we are as a country and as citizens of a country built on the freedoms and democracy now so seriously threatened.
Locally, several groups have taken action. The Civil Liberties Defense Coalition has worked tirelessly in the Minnesota State Legislature to counter the passing of Minnesota laws that mimic the USA PATRIOT Act. On April 4, 2003, the Minneapolis City Council passed a Resolution Defending the Bill of Rights that basically states that the City of Minneapolis will not comply with laws and executive orders that violate constitutional rights. One state and 104 cities, towns, and counties in the U.S. have now passed similar resolutions. The St. Paul Bill of Rights Defense Committee will introduce a resolution in St. Paul.
As this article is being written, Local Impacts, a coalition of advocacy groups and of organizations of people of color, has been working to pass an ordinance in the Minneapolis City Council that will separate the function of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and city employees, particularly the police. (The INS, now called the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services or BCIS, is under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security.)
In testimony during a recent public hearing, members of the immigrant community spoke eloquently of their fear of reporting crimes committed against them and even of going to the hospital. Many fear any contact with the police at all in light of the push by John Ashcroft to have the police detain immigrants, even if they have not committed a crime (in other words, the police acting as an extension of immigration services). This fear grips all members of immigrant communities, whether documented or undocumented.
Local Impacts is involved in many different organizations that work on peace and justice issues: anti-militarism and peace, the environment, housing, and civil rights, to name a few. We have in common the real threat to our civil liberties, to our right to dissent, to be activists. Now is a time we all need to join together to define and address this common problem by supporting each other, by creating and sharing strategies, and by making space for our work in these difficult times.
What can you do?
• Talk with your friends and neighbors about organizing a Bill of Rights Defense Committee in your city or town, or join an existing group.
• Write a letter to the editor about this issue.
• Support proposed legislation to help restore civil liberties.
• Copy fliers about the issue and distribute them at events (or give them to drivers stuck in traffic and in need of some reading material!).
• Sign on to a letter to remove Ashcroft as attorney general at www.bordc.org.
• Prepare yourself and members of targeted populations (such as Somalis, Mexicans, and other immigrant groups) for visits by the FBI, INS, or police.
• Call or write your senators and representatives in Washington. Send Bill of Rights get-well cards to your legislators.
• Sign the online petition of the Coalition for Civil Rights and Democratic Liberties (CRADL) at www.bordc.org.
• If you are interested in a petition drive, contact your state’s ACLU chapter about starting one in your state.
• Stay informed by visiting Web sites and reading articles in the alternative press.
• Join us October 24-26, 2003, for “Cry Justice! Activism, Organizing, and Civil Liberties After 911: All People’s Activist Conference” in Minneapolis (concurrent with the National Lawyers Guild conference). • Put “Cry Justice!” on your calendar now! Contact Ted Dooley, 612-339-1453 or email him at 614grand@winternet.com for more information.
Sources
Kaminski, John. “Are You A Patriot?” Z Magazine (December 2001).
Talanian, Nancy. “A Guide to Provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and Federal Executive Orders that Threaten Civil Liberties,” Bill of Rights Defense Committee (2002).
Welch, Matt. “Get Ready for PATRIOT II,” Alternet, www.alternet.org. Search for story 15541 (April 2, 2002).
Lee, Chisun. “Ground Laid for Historic Presidential Powers Push: Bracing for Bush’s War at Home,” Village Voice (March 26-April 1, 2003).
Robbins, Tim. A Chill Wind Is Blowing in This Nation . . . Transcript of a speech by actor Tim Robbins to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (April 15, 2003). |
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Civil Liberties Resources!
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
www.aclu.org
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
P.O. Box 60591
Florence, MA 01062
413-582-0110
info@bordc.org
www.bordc.org (national)
www.Minneapolis.bordc.org (Mpls.)
www.StPaulbordc.org (St. Paul)
Civil Liberties Defense Coalition
www.true-patriots.org
This Web site includes information on local activities, as well as the full text of the USA PATRIOT Act, and a very handy e-mail form to send messages to members of the Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota Senate, and Minneapolis City Council (click on “Resources” in the menu).
National Coalition to Repeal
the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act
22 West Bryan Street, Suite 172
Savannah, Georgia 31401
www.repealnow.com
National Lawyers Guild,
Minnesota Chapter
1360 University Ave. W, #173
St. Paul, MN 55104
612-805-6457
president@nlgminnesota.org
www.nlgminnesota.org
Stop Patriot Act II Coalition
c/o P.O. Box 29670
Los Angeles, CA 90027-0670
www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/agitation/civlib/
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© 2003 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete June 2003 Index - click here
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