Montana House Condemns USA Patriot Act
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 This act should not be renewed or expanded but should be rescinded.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The USA Patriot Act should be rescinded for the following reasons: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.
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.
Starmail - 12. Apr, 19:32
