| June 17, 2005 Unpatriotic Act Will Alaska's Congressional Delegation Stand Up For Our Rights? by Katy Parrish, insurgent49 Two years ago, Alaska became the 3rd state in the union to pass a resolution to protect its citizens against the PATRIOT Act. On this anniversary, I am reminded of how slow our congressional delegation has been to follow through with promises to the citizens of this state. Sure, Don Young stated that the PATRIOT Act was the “worst piece of legislation he ever signed,” and Lisa drafted a bill to address the most egregious sections of the PATRIOT Act. But has anything really happened in response to Alaskans saying NO to the PATRIOT Act? No, not really. Lisa’s legislation died shortly after George, Sr. and Dick came up to campaign for her in 2004, and Congressman Young, thus far, has not made any move against the Act. This year is the magic year when many of the most invasive sections of the PATRIOT Act are due to sunset. Mr. Bush has sworn on several occasions that he will not let those provisions die, and now the Senate Intelligence Committee has proposed a bill that would not only reauthorize provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, but also expand the government's investigative powers. The bill would permit the FBI to demand health, library, and tax records, among other things, in intelligence investigations without judicial approval. Coined the PATRIOT II by civil liberties activists, the committee held a closed session to vote on whether to send the legislation to the Senate floor. Activists worry that it is headed for the fast track and will be voted on by the Senate and House by the end of August. Does this remind you of anything? PATRIOT I was passed by virtually a unanimous vote six weeks after 9/11, although no one had read the entire bill and there was no debate on it. In fact, no one could get a copy of the entire bill prior to the vote. Congress is certainly not wasting any time to allow the FBI to access every personal record you can imagine without judicial overview. For instance, sneak and peek provisions allow the FBI to enter your house, without a warrant, tap your phones, access your hard drive, and monitor them without you knowing. Again, with no judicial overview. Where is the mainstream media in all of this? It’s barely been mentioned. I saw one little snippet two Sundays ago on page A-7 of the Anchorage Daily News, and not a word of it on mainstream corporate TV and radio. This is some of the most crucial legislation confronting our civil liberties in recent history and the press fails us ... again. No wonder people are apathetic. Fortunately, a small grassroots movement began in response to this assault on our civil liberties with the National Bill of Rights Defense Committee. In two and a half years, it has mushroomed into 381 communities and 7 states that have passed resolutions/ordinances against the PATRIOT Act. This represents over 62 million Americans saying NO! The National Bill of Rights Committee was successful because it formed nonpartisan coalitions and made resources available for other communities to spread the word. Their efforts are some of the most efficient community organizing I have ever witnessed. Recently, I spoke with Hope Marston, Northwest Coordinator for the BORDC, and she reminded me how crucial it is to re-ignite the flame of opposition considering the new efforts behind PATRIOT II. The national organization is encouraging communities to spark the issue again by staging direct actions during PATRIOT Days, scheduled for July 2nd – 8th. That is when our congressional delegation is due to be back in Alaska, and we will have prime opportunities to make a statement regarding our dissatisfaction with the current and proposed legislation. Please contact any of our delegates and request to meet with them regarding these issues. If you can’t meet with them, call them and tell them how you feel. Saying nothing is saying you support the degradation of the Bill of Rights in America. I will be coordinating efforts in Anchorage including: · Sending an official copy of the local resolution to Assembly members · Sending an official copy of the state resolution to house and senate legislators · Participating in the Fourth of the July Parade in Anchorage with Alaskans for Peace and Justice · Reading the local resolution in front of City Hall and inviting the Mayor to attend · Appealing to local press to print opinion editorial pieces addressing these issues · Meeting with our federal delegation · Encouraging people to bombard our federal delegation with their viewpoints · Contacting the Alaska Civil Liberties Union to assist with a town meeting to address our dismay with both pieces of legislation · Staging a mock die-in of the Bill of Rights in front of the Federal Building · Anything you think we should do to fight this assault on our civil liberties We need your help and energy!!! Please feel free to contact me if you would like to help with these efforts. You can contact me by emailing takebackthemedia@hotmail.com. Are you willing to “Be the change you want to see in the world?” Your freedom depends on it. Katy Parrish is a freelance writer and media activist who can be reached at takebackthemedia@hotmail.com. |
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http://www.bordc.org/ Bill Of Rights Defense Committee homepage - also by this writer - The Revolution Will Be Televised The GOP's PBS Pied Piper Plays Poisonous Music Crashing The Party Become The Media |
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2005
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Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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