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