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Sanders Works to Repeal Provisions of Patriot Act by Patrick Armstrong - Published on Saturday, December 21, 2002 by the Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont)
BRATTLEBORO -- Congressman Bernard Sanders said Friday he will introduce legislation to exempt libraries and bookstores from parts of the sweeping USA Patriot Act. Sanders' announcement came as local activists prepared to launch an effort to raise awareness about the Patriot Act and other legislation, which they say threatens Americans' civil liberties. "The expansion of surveillance, monitoring and investigation into our libraries and book sellers is truly disturbing," Sanders said in a statement Friday released in conjunction with a Burlington press conference. "Libraries and bookstores have always been a source of learning, knowledge and information. The right to read without the fear of government surveillance is a cornerstone of our democracy. I will do everything in my power to ensure that Congress passes legislation that will protect Americans' constitutional rights to read books without fear that someone is violating their right to privacy." The Patriot Act grants law enforcement officials expanded power to access the records of bookstores and libraries when conducting investigations. It also prohibits bookstore owners and librarians from revealing that records have been released. In an interview Friday, Sanders, an independent, said when Congress reconvenes in January he will introduce a bill barring government surveillance of Americans' library borrowing and bookstore purchases.

. . . Read more!

posted by A Curmudgeon 2:30 PM

 

PHOTOGRAPHER ARRESTED FOR TAKING PICTURES OF VICE PRESIDENT'S HOTEL
Posted 5 Dec 2002 - 2600 Magazine
An amateur photographer named Mike Maginnis was arrested on Tuesday in his home city of Denver - for simply taking pictures of buildings in an area where Vice President Cheney was residing.

Maginnis's morning commute took him past the Adams Mark Hotel on Court Place. Maginnis, who says he always carried his camera wherever he went, snapped about 30 pictures of the hotel and the surrounding area - which included Denver police, Army rangers, and rooftop snipers. Maginnis, who works in information technology, frequently photographs such subjects as corporate buildings and communications equipment. As he was putting his camera away, Maginnis found himself confronted by a Denver police officer who demanded that he hand over his film and camera. When he refused to give up his Nikon F2, the officer pushed him to the ground and arrested him. After being brought to the District 1 police station on Decatur Street, Maginnis was made to wait alone in an interrogation room. Two hours later, a Secret Service agent arrived, who identified himself as Special Agent "Willse." The agent told Maginnis that his "suspicious activities" made him a threat to national security, and that he would be charged as a terrorist under the USA-PATRIOT act. The Secret Service agent tried to make Maginnis admit that he was taking the photographs to analyze weaknesses in the Vice President's security entourage and "cause terror and mayhem." When Maginnis refused to admit to being any sort of terrorist, the Secret Service agent called him a "raghead collaborator" and a "dirty pinko faggot." After approximately an hour of interrogation, Maginnis was allowed to make a telephone call. Rather than contacting a lawyer, he called the Denver Post and asked for the news desk. This was immediately overheard by the desk sergeant, who hung up the phone and placed Maginnis in a holding cell. Three hours later, Maginnis was finally released, but with no explanation. He received no copy of an arrest report, and no receipt for his confiscated possessions. He was told that he would probably not get his camera back, as it was being held as evidence. Maginnis's lawyer contacted the Denver Police Department for an explanation of the day's events, but the police denied ever having Maginnis - or anyone matching his description - in custody. At press time, the Denver PD's Press Information Office did not return telephone messages left by 2600.

The new police powers introduced by the USA-PATRIOT act, in the name of fighting terrorism, have been frightening in their apparent potential for abuse. Mike Maginnis's experience on Tuesday is a poignant example of how this abuse is beginning to occur. It suggests that a wide range of activities which might be considered "suspicious" could be suddenly labeled a prelude to terrorism, and be grounds for arrest.

****** OK - So now we can no longer take pictures of trains or hotels. Gettin' more scary every day*****

. . . Read more!

posted by A Curmudgeon 11:37 AM

 

Censors at the Border? In America?
Hugh Dellios - Chicago Tribune - Monday, 25 November, 2002
McALLEN, Texas -- On the other side of the bridge from Mexico, the young U.S. Customs Service officer asked me to toss my suitcase on the inspection table. He opened it and then tensed up at what he saw. Sitting on top of the clothes were four thin pamphlets, each about 30 pages long and each bound with a plastic spiral. "These aren't something against the U.S., are they?" he asked me, suspiciously. It was my turn to freeze. I had never heard that kind of question when entering the U.S. before, only when entering places such as Syria, Iraq or the Congo. I asked the officer: Is it your job to be censoring information people are bringing into the country? "Actually, sir," he replied, "if it's propaganda against the U.S., we can prevent it from coming in."

****This report can also be located at t r u t h o u t...here

*****This kid (the Customs Agent) would probably turn his Grandmother in if she bad-mouthed DeserterDudya or ViceCriminal Poindexter - and he'd most likely have the local TIPS hotline on speed-dial -- oh wait, Congress disapproves of TIPS so he'd be calling his local Neiborhood Watch, currently manned by highly trained insomniacs who constantly peer out their windows******

. . . Read more!

posted by A Curmudgeon 8:50 AM