Dept. of Justice bashed for compromising civil liberties

Support for the Patriot Act was expressed by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) at the American Civil Liberties Union conference. Specter said that though he supports the Patriot Act, a clearer separation of law enforcement and constitutional rights is necessary to protect Americans’ civil liberties. Specter said the Department of Justice must work harder to ensure that the right to an attorney and presumption of innocence are not compromised. Specter also said that congressional and judicial oversight of executive decisions has been insufficient and that a checks and balance system is crucial to prevent the government from gaining the immunity it wants when controversial policies are challenged.

James Risen, a New York Times reporter that co-authored a piece revealing government wire-tapping programs, said that American reporters being jailed for refusing to reveal sources is a negative reflection on the United States. According to Risen, these measures justify the actions of leaders in countries like China and Zimbabwe, two states in which New York Times reporters have been arrested previously.

Toni Lacy, a USA Today reporter held in contempt for refusing to reveal the sources of an anthrax report, also spoke at the conference. Lacy emphatically said that the American public has a right to know the details of government action during the anthrax scare. Lacy said if reporters are subpoenaed for unnecessary “fishing expeditions” by law enforcement agencies, media outlets will be “destroyed out of fear,” halting coverage of on-going events. Lacy closed her speech by saying that a confidential source is not synonymous with being a traitor.

Ron Paul on "The Revolution"

Congressman and Republican presidential contender Ron Paul (R-TX) addressed a crowd at a discussion and signing to promote his new book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, currently a number-one bestseller on Amazon.com. Dr. Paul, who will continue to run for the presidency despite Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) presumed nomination, said the purpose of his book is to “galvanize” the American people and foster enthusiasm about civil liberties and a return to American libertarian principles.


Paul described his main objective as respect for and adherence to the U.S. Constitution, and said that “it’s sad that just obeying the Constitution is a revolutionary idea.” He said he uses the word “revolution” cautiously, and advocates a “nonviolent” one that would restore civil liberties and reduce the influence of the Federal government. He said that Congress and the judicial system “ignore the Constitution” and have allowed the Fourth Amendment to erode over time. After 9/11, Paul said some members of the government “showed cheer” because it represented an opportunity to infringe on civil liberties with measures such as the Patriot Act.

Paul expressed appreciation for young voters, whom he said have grown passionate about preserving the Constitution, and said his supporters have been energized by his “optimism,” which he said means analyzing problems and then seeking solutions. He said the young generation “has to make a decision” about what they want the role of their government to be, and said that he thinks that role is to “preserve liberty, not run our lives, run our economy, and police the world.”

Paul deplored the fact that to oppose war earns the label of a “left-winger,” and said “I don’t think it’s left-wing to say, ‘Why are we fighting a war that was never declared?’” He also said that at one point, his campaign received more donations from military personnel than all other presidential candidates combined. Paul said he thinks “we live in dangerous times,” and that foreign policy occupation will lead to a “crisis” in America. In reference to criticism of former Pres. Bill Clinton as a “nation-builder” during his term in the 1990s as opposed to the current rise in foreign occupation with Pres. Bush’s administration, Paul said that “Americans have very short memories, and Muslims and Arabs never forget anything.”

When asked where he sees the government headed, Paul said he thinks the U.S. is “moving more towards fascism” than lawlessness because of growing governmental intervention in the form of “big corporations,” “secret prisons, and the loss of habeas corpus.” He said he thinks that “the empire will end” because the U.S. cannot sustain its present course and continue to finance its global objectives.

"What should be done with the collected information?"

No answers were given when asked the following question: "What should be done with the collected information?"
The senate judiciary committee held a hearing on "National Security Letters (NSL): The Need for Greater Accountability and Oversight." the witnesses present were James A. Baker, former council for Intelligence Policy at the Department of justice, Gregory T. Nojeim, director of the Freedom, Security and Technology project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, and lastly Michael J. Woods, former chief of National Security Law Unit at the Office of the General Counsel, FBI.

The chairman of the committee, Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), introduced the guests after each Senator present delivered their remarks and their opinions on the issue. In his opening statement, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), who has introduced the National Security Letter Reform Act, blamed the Patriot Act for the misuse and abuse of the NSL by the FBi itself. He mentioned that the Patriot Act "expanded the NSL statutes to essentially grant the FBI a blank check to obtain sensitive information about innocent Americans."

James Barker, in his remarks, distinguished between two different kinds of dat collection. He called the first one "metadata", which is the collection of "non-content information". Metadata is not protected by the fourth Amendment and focuses on the whereabouts of the criminal. Whereas the "content information" is the collection of the substance of the information and it is protected by the fourth Amendment. in Baker's opinion, metadata is an important tool to start the investigation, rather than fully rely on it, in other words, it is the "bread and butter and not the main course or the desert."

Gregory T. Nojeim mentioned that the NSL legislation is a one way spree and "self-policing does no work." He continued by pointing that FISA is "quite permissive" of the FBI to act independently. Certain data are considered to be sensitive and others less sensitive, he highlighted the fact that there must be tools to protect the checks and balances.

Michael J. Woods offered his practical experience in the FBI and said that the development of technology has had a tremendous effect on the investigations and the handling of the Patriot Act.