In a political blow to Prime Minister Tony Blair, British lawmakers on Wednesday rejected tough anti-terrorism legislation that would have allowed suspects to be detained for 90 days without charge.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110905Q.shtml



House of Commons, 4:56pm: The moment Tony Blair lost his authority:

Tony Blair's personal authority was badly dented last night when he suffered a humiliating defeat over his plan to allow the police to detain suspected terrorists for up to 90 days without charge.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article326057.ece



Foreign policy 'spurs Muslim extremism':

The group of Muslim advisers hand-picked by the government in the wake of the July 7 bombings has attacked Tony Blair's anti-terrorism plan, just hours after the 90-day detention rule was defeated in parliament.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1639511,00.html


From Information Clearing House



Blair Suffers Major Defeat on Terror Bill
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5405503,00.html


Informant: ECOTERRA Intl.

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/06/15/the_patriot_act_is_unpatriotic.php#more


Informant: Neo Mulder

06/14/05

Conservative groups have found common ground with the liberal American Civil Liberties Union in their opposition to the USA Patriot Act and pledge to wage a high-profile fight against it, claiming even its renewal is shrouded in secrecy...

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050614-121304-2787r.htm

from Washington Times


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

http://unslaver.com/forum/index.php?topic=70.msg103#msg103


Informant: Oz Admin

by JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer
Last Updated 12:39 pm PDT Tuesday, May 3, 2005
Sacramento Bee

WASHINGTON (AP) - A former Republican congressman urged lawmakers Tuesday to limit the government's ability to search for evidence without immediately telling the investigation's target, a part of the USA Patriot Act that Congress is reconsidering.

While sections of the Patriot Act expire this year, the law's national standards for what are sometimes known as "sneak and peek" searches are permanent.
Still, former GOP Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia told a House Judiciary subcommittee that lawmakers should scale back the delayed notification warrant provision inside the Patriot Act anyway. [...] Read it all at: http://tinyurl.com/7sq7c


© Virginia Metze

We thank Bill Richer for this information about the Montana Legislature's actions on the USA Patriot Act.

Provisions of the USA Patriot Act are up for review in Congress. The United States Attorney General is pressing for the retention of all current provisions and many new ones. This act should not be renewed or expanded but should be rescinded. The Independent American Party has submitted a Bill to Congress to rescind the USA Patriot Act. It can be accessed at:
http://www.usiap.org/ActionItems/PatriotBill/PatriotBillText.html

The USA Patriot Act should be rescinded for the following reasons:

1. The Representatives and Senators who voted for it had not read nor understood it before voting.

2. Provisions in the USA Patriot Act trample on the right of American citizens to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. Since this God-given right is guaranteed by the Constitution and abrogated by the USA Patriot Act, the USA Patriot Act is in itself unconstitutional.

3. The USA Patriot Act increases the power of the Executive branch far beyond the limits envisioned and enumerated by the Founding Fathers.

Montana is the fifth state to pass a resolution against the USA Patriot Act. Montana's resolution is also the strongest. There are 373 states, counties and municipalities who have passed resolutions against the USA Patriot Act. There is a groundswell of public opinion against this act. We ask you to join the groundswell by taking the following actions.

1. Print or copy the Patriot Act Recision Bill at:
http://www.usiap.org/ActionItems/PatriotBill/PatriotBillText.html
and send it to both of your Senators and your Representative asking them to sponsor this bill.

2. Contact your state legislators and have them sponsor a resolution patterned after the resolution in Montana.
http://data.opi.state.mt.us/bills/2005/billhtml/SJ0019.htm

3. Write a letter to the Editor urging Congress to rescind this Act and urging your state legislature to pass a resolution urging Congress to rescind this Act.

4. Study information on the USA Patriot Act at:
http://www.bordc.org/index.html

5. Study your Constitutional rights at:
http://stores.ebay.com/Independent-American-Books_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm

For Freedom,

Will Christensen
National Vice Chair
Independent American Party
http://www.usiap.org/


The Independent American Party will hold a convention the 15th & 16th of April in Salt Lake City. Details are at:

http://www.usiap.org/Events/EventsIndex.html

Those who are interested in retrieving our government from the Insiders are invited to attend.

Be a pipeline not a bucket - Please pass this along


Montana House Condemns Patriot Act
http://www.rense.com/general163/mont.htm
by Jennifer McKee
Billings Gazette State Bureau
4-3-5

Helena - Montana lawmakers overwhelmingly passed what its sponsor called the nation's most strongly worded criticism of the federal Patriot Act on Friday, uniting politicians of all stripes.

The resolution, which already galloped through the Senate and passed the House 88-12 Friday, must survive a final vote before it officially passes.

Senate Joint Resolution 19, sponsored by Sen. Jim Elliott, D-Trout Creek, says that while the 2005 Legislature supports the federal government's fight against terrorism, the so-called Patriot Act of 2001 granted authorities sweeping powers that violate citizens' rights enshrined in both the U.S. and Montanan constitutions.

The resolution, which does not carry the weight of a law but expresses the Legislature's opinion, encourages Montana law enforcement agencies not to participate in investigations authorized under the Patriot Act that violate Montanans' constitutional rights. It requests all libraries in the state to post a sign warning citizens that under the Patriot Act, federal agents may force librarians to turn over a record of books a person has checked out and never inform that citizen of the request.

The resolution asks Montana's attorney general to review any state intelligence information and destroy it if is not tied directly to suspected criminals. It also asks the attorney general to find out how many Montanans have been arrested under the Patriot Act and how many people have been subject to so-called "sneak and peaks," or government searches of a person's property without the person's knowledge.

Elliott, a Democrat and rancher from northwestern Montana, sponsored the resolution, but it garnered support from Republicans on the far right of the political spectrum.

"Sometimes we just take liberty for granted in the country," said Rep. Roger Koopman, R-Bozeman, who keeps a plant called "the Liberty Tree" on his legislative desk.

Koopman said his Liberty Tree was "blooming for this bill."

"Frankly, what it says to me is that civil liberties are a bipartisan issue in Montana," said Rep. Rick Maejde, R-Trout Creek, who led the House debate for the resolution.

Elliott said he was "very, very pleased" the resolution had such support.

"Montana isn't the first state that passed a resolution, but this resolution is the strongest statement against the constitutional violations of the Patriot Act of any state and almost every city or county," he said.

04/10/05

A coalition of various interest groups including the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has kicked off an effort aimed at convincing Congress to review certain sections of the Patriot Act. Calling itself the Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances (PRCB), the group, led by former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr, gathered in Washington, DC, Mar. 22 to detail their plans. ... The chief targets of concern are tenets of the Act that allow broad search authority to federal officers, including so-called sneak-and-peek warrants that allow agents to go inside someone's home or business without telling the person about it. Another provision allows federal agents to demand private information from 'third party' sources, including doctors and attorneys. Barr and others believe this clearly violates the Fourth Amendment...

http://www.gunweek.com/0410issue/patriot0410.html

from Gun Week, by Dave Workman


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

04/10/05

President Bush calls the Patriot Act an invaluable tool in the war on terror, but, until last week, little was known about where, why or how often the law has been applied. At the same time, confusion persists over what the law actually does. Critics sometimes conflate Patriot Act provisions with other controversial moves, such as indefinite detentions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that have nothing to do with the act. ... Since 2001, more than 375 local governments have passed resolutions criticizing the law or declaring 'civil liberties safe zones' in a bid to discourage cooperation with the law. But few cases of actual abuse of the law have surfaced. No one, for example, has come forward to claim the compensation provided in the law for abuse of civil rights. One reason, critics say, is that the most invasive powers of the Patriot Act are exercised secretly, some accompanied with gag orders...

http://tinyurl.com/6ok94

from North Jersey Record, by Gail Russell Chaddock


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp