Letter Printed in the Montclair Times
Expansion of power
Wednesday, January 14, 2004When Congress passed the USA Patriot Act (PL 107-560) followed by the Homeland Security Act (PL 107-296), a dramatic expansion of the power of the federal government occurred. This legislation erodes the civil liberties which are guaranteed to each of us by the US Constitution. These include the rights of privacy concerning personal business, such as school records, financial information, credit card purchases, e-mail, books purchased or borrowed from the library, medical information, insurance policies, etc. The USA Patriot Act also permits indefinite incarceration of immigrants and other non-citizens by the government without having to show that they are terrorists.
It is heartening that last month, two important federal appeals courts criticized the Bush administration’s policies of detaining terrorism suspects, one an American citizen, and 600 others in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
When an issue of this magnitude occurs, it would be helpful for the members of the community to get together and talk about what is happening. Together we could evaluate the impact on our personal lives, and develop strategies to cope with the problems. Sharing thoughts about the ramifications on this law upon ourselves, as well as others less fortunate, such as immigrants and prisoners, is also important. We have always taken our civil liberties for granted, now we need to work together and help each other deal with the possibility that we may be losing them.
BARBARA HAVER
Montclair
Montclair Campaign to Defend Civil Liberties