| |
|
A group called the Center for Public Integrity has published an article about a draft updated Patriot Act that they say is going around Washington. The whole thing is available online if you have the patience to read a 12 meg PDF, but here are a couple of highlights:
Section 201, ?Prohibition of Disclosure of Terrorism Investigation Detainee Information?: Safeguarding the dissemination of information related to national security has been a hallmark of Ashcroft?s first two years in office, and the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 follows in the footsteps of his October 2001 directive to carefully consider such interest when granting Freedom of Information Act requests. While the October memo simply encouraged FOIA officers to take national security, ?protecting sensitive business information and, not least, preserving personal privacy? into account while deciding on requests, the proposed legislation would enhance the department?s ability to deny releasing material on suspected terrorists in government custody through FOIA.
i.e. now even harder to find out who's been arrested and for what
Section 301-306, ?Terrorist Identification Database?: These sections would authorize creation of a DNA database on ?suspected terrorists,? expansively defined to include association with suspected terrorist groups, and noncitizens suspected of certain crimes or of having supported any group designated as terrorist.
Say no more.
PBS interview with Chuck Lewis, executive director of the CPI:
MOYERS: So many of these powers latent in this draft legislation were powers that were taken away from the intelligence community some years ago because they were abused.
LEWIS: That's right.
MOYERS: Do you see any protection in here against potential abuse?
LEWIS: I don't think there's very much ? there's a lot more authority and power for government. There's less oversight and information about what government is doing. That's the headline and that's the theme. And the safeguards seem to be pretty minimal to me.
MOYERS: I just go through here, you know? "Will give the Attorney General the unchecked power to deport any foreigner?"
LEWIS: Right.
MOYERS: Including lawful permanent resident aliens. It would give the government the power to keep certain arrests secret until an indictment is found never in our history have we permitted secret arrests. It would give the government power to bypass courts and grand juries in order to conduct surveillance without a judge's permission. I mean these do really further upend the balance between liberty on the one hand and security on the other.
LEWIS: Well, they do. They reduce judicial oversight with the secret intelligence courts instead of saying the court may do this now it's the court will do this. They can have ex parte conversations where they go into the judge without anyone else around. In terms of information about detainees, not only can they detain anyone they'd like to detain, there is no public information about it. |
|
|
