William Fisher: Is a Redo of Post-9/11 Paranoia the Best We Can Do?
[William Fisher has managed economic development programs in the Middle East and in many other parts of the world for the US State Department and USAID for the past thirty years. He began his work life as a journalist for newspapers and for the Associated Press in Florida. Fisher also served in the international affairs area during the Kennedy administration. Go to The World According to Bill Fisher for more.]
The USA Patriot Act, rushed into law by a panicky US Congress in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, gave law enforcement sweeping new powers, including broad surveillance powers to spy on innocent Americans. But it also stipulated that three of its more controversial provisions should expire at the end of next month unless reapproved by lawmakers.
And it appears that reapproval may be about to happen - evidently with a green light from the Obama administration and over strong objections from human rights and civil liberties groups.
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the USA Patriot Act Extension Act of 2009. The bill makes only minor changes to the original Patriot Act and was further watered down by amendments adopted during the Committee's deliberations.
"The Senate Judiciary Committee had the opportunity to pass legislation to rein in a bill that has become a symbol of out-of-control government invasions of your privacy. They failed - approving a bill that does little to curtail the sweeping powers embedded in the Patriot Act," said the American Civil Liberties Union.
The committee's actions were driven by "short-term and political considerations," Chip Pitts, president of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, told us. The committee ignored "the need for a more sensible long-term, reasoned, rule-of-law approach," he said.
Now, civil libertarians are looking to the House of Representatives, where the Judiciary Committee has already begun to consider the measure. Both chambers must produce versions of the legislation, after which differences will be reconciled by a bicameral conference committee...
... "In sum, short-term and political considerations driven by dramatic events once again dramatically affected the need for a more sensible long-term, reasoned, rule-of-law approach, " Pitts told us, adding, "In the eight years since passage of the original Patriot Act, it's become clear that the escalating political competition to appear tough on terror (and avoid being accused of being 'soft on terror') brings perceived electoral benefits with few costs, with vital but fragile civil liberties being easily sacrificed. Even nominal and sometimes actual civil liberties advocates have become more used to the 'new normal,' seemingly forgetting the less visible but vital benefits of the liberties themselves - including for genuine and effective security, let alone for successful, prosperous, creative, dynamic open societies as opposed to closed societies like the former East Germany that used such approaches to their detriment."
"The persistent myths and claims that the Patriot Act hasn't been abused are simply ludicrous after the documentation by (civil liberties groups), regarding the torrent of abuse that has happened since 9/11," Pitts told us.
Now, all eyes are turning to the House of Representatives, where debate has already begun in the Judiciary Committee...
... "All the layers of defense President Bush set up after September 11 are working. The FBI is working more closely with local police, the Patriot Act, which allows roving wiretaps ... is essential," King told Fox News. "We have to have this, it's absolutely essential."
Chief among many lawmakers' complaints is that the Patriot Act undercuts privacy and threatens personal freedoms. But Republicans in particular have dismissed those criticisms, asserting the set of statutes has been indispensable in helping law enforcement agencies prevent future terrorist attacks.
As the Patriot Act approaches its sunset date, the Obama administration has signaled its interest in preserving key aspects of law - including its provisions on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the panel that grants federal officials the ability to conduct "roving wiretaps" on suspect terrorists. But Obama is likely to face staunch Democratic opposition to that effort, even as he promises his party members new Patriot Act provisions designed specifically to safeguard Americans' privacy rights.
Read entire article at Truthout
The USA Patriot Act, rushed into law by a panicky US Congress in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, gave law enforcement sweeping new powers, including broad surveillance powers to spy on innocent Americans. But it also stipulated that three of its more controversial provisions should expire at the end of next month unless reapproved by lawmakers.
And it appears that reapproval may be about to happen - evidently with a green light from the Obama administration and over strong objections from human rights and civil liberties groups.
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the USA Patriot Act Extension Act of 2009. The bill makes only minor changes to the original Patriot Act and was further watered down by amendments adopted during the Committee's deliberations.
"The Senate Judiciary Committee had the opportunity to pass legislation to rein in a bill that has become a symbol of out-of-control government invasions of your privacy. They failed - approving a bill that does little to curtail the sweeping powers embedded in the Patriot Act," said the American Civil Liberties Union.
The committee's actions were driven by "short-term and political considerations," Chip Pitts, president of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, told us. The committee ignored "the need for a more sensible long-term, reasoned, rule-of-law approach," he said.
Now, civil libertarians are looking to the House of Representatives, where the Judiciary Committee has already begun to consider the measure. Both chambers must produce versions of the legislation, after which differences will be reconciled by a bicameral conference committee...
... "In sum, short-term and political considerations driven by dramatic events once again dramatically affected the need for a more sensible long-term, reasoned, rule-of-law approach, " Pitts told us, adding, "In the eight years since passage of the original Patriot Act, it's become clear that the escalating political competition to appear tough on terror (and avoid being accused of being 'soft on terror') brings perceived electoral benefits with few costs, with vital but fragile civil liberties being easily sacrificed. Even nominal and sometimes actual civil liberties advocates have become more used to the 'new normal,' seemingly forgetting the less visible but vital benefits of the liberties themselves - including for genuine and effective security, let alone for successful, prosperous, creative, dynamic open societies as opposed to closed societies like the former East Germany that used such approaches to their detriment."
"The persistent myths and claims that the Patriot Act hasn't been abused are simply ludicrous after the documentation by (civil liberties groups), regarding the torrent of abuse that has happened since 9/11," Pitts told us.
Now, all eyes are turning to the House of Representatives, where debate has already begun in the Judiciary Committee...
... "All the layers of defense President Bush set up after September 11 are working. The FBI is working more closely with local police, the Patriot Act, which allows roving wiretaps ... is essential," King told Fox News. "We have to have this, it's absolutely essential."
Chief among many lawmakers' complaints is that the Patriot Act undercuts privacy and threatens personal freedoms. But Republicans in particular have dismissed those criticisms, asserting the set of statutes has been indispensable in helping law enforcement agencies prevent future terrorist attacks.
As the Patriot Act approaches its sunset date, the Obama administration has signaled its interest in preserving key aspects of law - including its provisions on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the panel that grants federal officials the ability to conduct "roving wiretaps" on suspect terrorists. But Obama is likely to face staunch Democratic opposition to that effort, even as he promises his party members new Patriot Act provisions designed specifically to safeguard Americans' privacy rights.