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Degradation of Our
Liberties
"Facts On How Our Liberties Are
Decaying"
The following are citations of some major
contributing factors to the degradation of our liberties. These are by
no means intended to be a comprehensive listing of items, but rather a
sampling of some major instances that are leading to the decay of the
liberties afforded the citizens of the United States of America under
the constitution of the United States.
As time progresses and opportunity
permits this section will be amended to further demonstrate the
abundance of laws and rules that have been enacted by the States and
Federal Government that has lead us to the sad state of decomposition of
our liberties.
1) USA PATRIOT Act of 2001(Read
Text)
On October 26, 2001 the US Congress
passed, and President Bush signed into law, the USA PATRIOT Act, an
acronym for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing
Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism."
The US Senate voted 98-1 for the bill, with only Senator Russ Feingold
(D-WI) opposing it. The House voted 357-66 to pass it.
Go to the
ACLU site to get a good overview http://www.aclumich.org/press%20releases/PR-2-dec-01.htm
2) Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Read
Text)
November 25, 2002 President George W.
Bush signed the Homeland Security bill into law, creating a
cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security combining 22 federal
agencies with an estimated budget of $37.4 billion, including $2.12
billion for IT. A move that sets into motion the largest reorganization
of the federal government in more than half a century.
Go to the
following for an overview http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,56600,00.html
3) Domestic Security Enhancement Act of
2003 (Read
Text)
Until now, few people outside of the
Justice Department, not even members of key congressional committees
have seen this draft legislation. It could lead to increased
surveillance and greater secrecy - all in the name of the war on terror.
It raises questions about how we balance liberty and security - the
rights of individuals versus the rule of law.
Go to the following site
to read overview http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030207/nyf087_1.html
4) Presidential Records Act
(Read
Text)
On Jan. 20, 2001, the first batch from
President Reagan's papers -- 68,000 documents -- should have been made
public according to a 1978 law requiring that all documents from any
given administration be made public 12 years after a president leaves
office. Highly sensitive documents are exempt. On March 23, 2001,
Alberto R. Gonzales, the White House counsel and a potential Bush
nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, ordered the papers sealed for 90
days. The papers, incidentally, include those of Reagan's vice
president, George H.W. Bush.
On Nov. 1, 2001, President Bush signed an
executive order not only sealing the papers, but giving authority to
past presidents, vice presidents or their close relatives to bar release
of the papers. A bill was introduced in Congress to negate the order. It
failed. It is likely to be introduced again this year. A private citizen
has filed suit, challenging the legality of the executive order.
Go to the following site to read more
about this topic. http://www.apsanet.org/new/pra.cfm
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