ZGram - 12/19/2002 - "Academics speak up"

[irimland@zundelsite.org]

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

December 19, 2002

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

This ZGram was supposed to go out yesterday, but again we had server 
trouble.  This might be just as well, because I can now send two 
ZGrams back-to-back that really belong together.

As you can see, resistance to the Patriot Act is building - but not 
nearly fast enough:

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More And More US Cities
Repudiate Patriot Act
Cities Say No To Federal Snooping

By Julia Scheeres
Wired News
12-19-2

Fearing that the Patriot Act will curtail Americans' civil rights, 
municipalities across the country are passing resolutions to 
repudiate the legislation and protect their residents from a 
perceived abuse of authority by the federal government.
 
On Tuesday, Oakland became the 20th municipality to pass a resolution 
barring its employees -- from police officer to librarian -- from 
collaborating with federal officials who may try to use their new 
power to investigate city residents.
 
Rushed through Congress a month after the terrorist attacks on the 
World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the Patriot Act fundamentally 
changes Americans' legal rights. Among other things, the act allows 
the government to secretly monitor political groups, seize library 
records and tap phone and Internet connections.
 
The federal government says the expanded powers are needed to prevent 
terrorist attacks; but critics say the legislation erodes freedoms 
protected by the Constitution. The Justice Department did not return 
calls for comment on this article.
 
A rallying point behind the recent groundswell has been the Bill of 
Rights Defense Committee, run by Massachusetts activist Nancy 
Talanian.
 
Her site includes a blueprint for communities that want to pass 
anti-Patriot Act resolutions, based on her successful lobbying 
efforts for such legislation in Northhampton, Massachusetts. The site 
has gotten over a million hits in the last six months, Talanian said.
 
Another group to vehemently oppose the act has been librarians. They 
are now required to divulge patrons' book-borrowing and 
Internet-surfing habits to federal investigators and are prohibited 
from making such requests public.
 
In retaliation, some librarians have called special meetings to 
educate their communities about the Patriot Act's implications. 
Others now routinely purge borrowing records and Internet caches. One 
former librarian devised a series of technically-legal signs to warn 
patrons of FBI snooping.
 
"We're Sorry!" states one. "Due to National Security concerns, we are 
unable to tell you if your Internet surfing habits, passwords and 
e-mail content are being monitored by federal agents; please act 
appropriately."
 
Jessamyn West said she doesn't necessarily expect libraries to use 
her signs, but she hopes that they'll get people talking.
 
"Hopefully, they'll make people more aware of what's going on," she said.
 
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56922,00.html

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