Propaganda Machine
...ap phones and trace e-mails have been expanded. To add to this, the FBI uses a program called Carnivore which is a packet sniffer to "sniff" e-mails for information that they are looking for. Before the PATRIOT Act came about the FBI had to contact the ISP of the person they wanted to spy on before they could actually set up a Carnivore box to start "sniffing". Now that the PATRIOT Act is law, they do not have to contact anyone to let them know what they are doing and why. Thousands of U.S. residents from the Middle East have been watched and wiretapped already. Such increased surveillance poses a threat to our privacy and must be stopped! Immigrants’ Safety is in Danger Under Patriot I, the government has indefinitely detained thousands of Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians for minor immigration violations and on "material witness" warrants. 13,000 of these immigrants have been targeted for planned deportations. Also, many of these immigrants have not been able to contact anyone in their family and are also being denied knowledge of the evidence that the government says exists against them. Our Homes Should be Our Castles Under PATRIOT I, law enforcement officials have been given the power to conduct "sneak and peek" searches of home residences without notifying the occupant until after the search has been completed. Even then, notification can be delayed for a "reasonable period". This is a suspension of our Fourth Amendment right to protection from unreasonable searches and seizures! Student Records are At Stake The PATRIOT Act allows law enforcement officials to cast a broad net over students, without any particular suspicion of wrongdoing. Law enforcement officials have access to highly personal and usually confidential student information. This includes student coursework and grades, financial information, and just about any other confidential information maintained by educational institutions. Transmitting this information to federal agencies could lead to adverse consequences completely unrelated to the fight against terrorism, and leaves foreign students vulnerable to investigations based upon racial profiling. Credit Records are At Stake The PATRIOT Act also allows law enforcement officials to check your credit records. What is strange about this section of the Act is the fact that the government knows how terrorist and extremist organizations work. One thing they never do is pay with a credit card, checks or check cards. They always pay in cash to keep a low profile so...who exactly is the PATRIOT Act targeting, cash toting terrorists or card carrying Americans? They Know What Books We're Reading As a result of the PATRIOT Act, the FBI has access to library records and bookstore receipts of anyone "suspected" of terrorist activity. Even worse, a gag order prevents librarians and bookstore employees from ever disclosing that they have been approached for information about customers' reading habits. We Are Not Safer The PATRIOT Act is NOT increasing Americans' security or fighting terrorism. By compiling information about thousands of innocent immigrants and citizens who oppose U.S. policies, PATRIOT I has created a convoluted haystack that must be sifted through in order to find any semblance of a real terrorist threat. Further, by focusing surveillance efforts on groups of individuals matching specific ethnic or racial profiles, attention has strayed from investigations of actual evidence. The list above goes on and on and will get worse if PATRIOT II is passed into law. And guess what, President Bush has already passed portions of it. For a complete listing of all things allowed under PATRIOT I and PATRIOT II e-mail me at ABORDCjosh@hotmail.com. HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION TO DEFEND OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES Call your elected representatives. Most people have no idea that they can call, e-mail, and/or fax their representatives and senators. Tell them that you oppose PATRIOT I and ask them to block passage of PATRIOT II. Also ask them to support good legislation, like Representative Bernie Sander's proposed HR 1157, the "Freedom to Read Protection Act of 2003." The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121. I recently contacted South Carolina representatives and senators and they have not replied to me yet. However, I will still keep writing e-mails, sending faxes, and making telephone calls in hopes of getting a response. Circulate a petition. Create a petition demanding the repeal of PATRIOT I and the prevention of PATRIOT II. As I write this, President Bush has already signed in portions of PATRIOT II!!! Collect as many signatures as you can in public spaces affected by this legislation, including local bookstores, libraries, and college campuses. Ask local constituents and groups to endorse your petition to increase local momentum. Send it to your Senators and Representatives. Get informed and inform your peers. Organize teach-ins and invite speakers to campuses or community centers. Distribute pamphlets and brochures about PATRIOT I and II and the Bill of Rights. Organizations with useful resources include: the Bill of Rights Defense Committee www.bordc.org, National Lawyer's Guild http://nlg.org, American Civil Liberties Union www.aclu.org, Reclaim Democracy reclaimdemocracy.org/civil_rights/, Center for Constitutional Rights www.ccr-ny.org, and Patriot Watch www.patriotwatch.org/. Connect to the National Movement. Strengthen the national coalition fighting the PATRIOT Acts by getting South Carolina on the "Grassroots America Defends the Bill of Rights" list. This list contains a listing of all cities and states that have expressed opposition for the PATRIOT Acts. South Carolina should have been one of the first states on the list when in fact now, if even, it will be one of the last. Get moving! I have already contacted the Bill Of Rights Defense Committee on this matter and they have put Graniteville on the list, however, I would like to see all of South Carolina on this list! Defend your freedom. Become a visible presence in your local July 4th Parade, Labor Day Parade, or in the Immigrant Worker's Freedom Ride. Organize a group to march with attention grabbing signs, leaflets, brochures, and buttons. Other great ways to reach out to your local community include creative visuals and floats in parades, as well as organized street theatre. For ideas, see www.bordc.org/July4.htm and www. iwfr.org. Speak Out. Write a letter to the editor or call in to a radio show to express your ideas. We absolutely need to defend our freedom and civil liberties, which are vital to the vision of democracy as outlined in our Bill of Rights! Stand up for immigrants. Stay informed on how the PATRIOT Act has affected immigrants. Network with like-minded individuals and groups to assemble and protest INS deportations and discrimination against Arabs and Muslims. Wear blue triangles as symbols of resistance on behalf of immigrants who have been affected. For more information, see www.bluetriangle.org. Come out for the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, inspired by the Civil Rights-era Freedom Riders. Show your support for the riders and lobby your organization to endorse it. Fore more information, see www.iwfr.org. Push for local resolutions. Many local governments have already passed resolutions against the PATRIOT Act. Check to see if your local city council has passed resolutions, and organize public forums to encourage a resolution in your community. For more information, see www.bordc.org/OtherLocalEfforts.htm. Resources for organizing resolutions can be found at www.bordc.org/Tools.htm. As far as websites are concerned, you can also visit my favorite site, www.michaelmoore.com. Michael Moore is a widely known American political activist who shows people the truth and along with that truth shows resources that prove it. If you want to skip to his section on the PATRIOT Acts go to www.michaelmoore.com/takeaction/issues/patriotact.php. You can also check out his books: Stupid White Men, Downsize This!, and Dude Where's My Country; his documentaries: Roger & Me, Bowling For Columbine, (just to name a couple) and soon to come Fahrenheit 911. Don’t just limit yourself to one source. Compare and contrast all information you can find on subject matter that is important to you. I now have something that I think that most of you would find interesting about our South Carolina Governor. I e-mailed him personally and though he did not respond to my e-mail personally he did think of it enough to ask his "right-hand-man" Policy Advisor Scott D. English to reply for him. When I e-mailed the Governor, I asked him where he stood concerning the PATRIOT Acts and preservation of civil liberties and whether or not he was opting to try and help abolish the PATRIOT Act I and help prevent PATRIOT II from even being passed. Scott replied: Mr. Bates-- The Governor asked me to get back to you regarding your recent e-mail on the USA PATRIOT Act. Thank you for writing. By way ...