moneylenders : temple :: scoundrels : ?
So I read a squib in the Mercury about how Eugene’s city council had passed a resolution condemning the USA PATRIOT Act—excuse me, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act—but how Portland’s council hasn’t yet said boo on the subject, despite an active Portland Bill of Rights Defense Committee, a burgeoning petition, and a resolution ready to go at a moment’s notice.
I resolved, therefore, to write a letter to my council members. Should fellow Portlanders feel so inclined, well, you can reach Mayor Katz and Erik Sten via email; James Francesconi has a website, but no email links, so it’s an old-fashioned fax for him (503.823.3017), and though Dan Saltzman has a form-mail page (ooh!), his .cgi thingie hiccupped when I tried to paste my letter in, so it’s a fax for him, too (503.823.3036).
Fun fact learned while browsing for some background: the ACLU thinks Oregon’s laudable state laws limiting police actions as regards people who are under no suspicion of having committed a crime are targeted for a hit in the 2003 legislative session, thanks to a vengeful Attorney General Ashcroft. These laws were passed to prevent past abuses from ever occurring again. We should maybe keep our eyes open and our ears to the ground on this one…
(Don’t live in Portland? Want to get your local city council in on the fun and games? It’s easy! Head on over to the national Bill of Rights Defense Committee website, find out if your city’s got a committee going, and if not, get right on it!)
Anyway. The letter, amended with some links:
Last year, when Portland police refused to participate in the mass interrogations of Muslim men, I was proud to be a Portlander. This city had taken a stand for the Bill of Rights, remembering that they are rights accorded to all Americans regardless of race, creed, or religion, and not merely platitudes to be discarded when they become inconvenient. And we held firm to that stand, despite the insults and invective of others around the country who, motivated by a very real fear, had forgotten this basic truth.
I am asking you to make me proud of Portland again.
Cities all over the country have with the help of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee have passed resolutions calling for the repeal in whole or in part of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, and Executive Orders that infringe on our constitutional rights. The USA PATRIOT Act, while passed with doubtless the best of intentions to keep Americans safe in what suddenly seemed to be a much more dangerous world, is nonetheless a hastily drafted, ill-conceived piece of legislation. Legal scholars and civil rights groups are nigh-unanimous in their denunciation of the law. Members of Congress admit that they had not enough time to read and study the bill before voting in favor of it. Some of its more extreme measures have faced judicial challenge and failed, utterly, most notably in the recent ruling that allows Jose Padilla a chance to confer with his lawyers.
But other, equally dangerous provisions have withstood judicial scrutiny, such as the alarming decision to allow warrantless wiretapping of American citizens in the name of protecting us from terrorism. And we cannot afford to wait for all of the various provisions of the law and the Executive Actions it rationalizes to wend their way through the courts. We are told that we can trust our current government not to abuse these powers, but this is not acceptable. It only takes one unscrupulous person to undo the best intentions our government may have for our safety, and no matter how much we may trust our current government, we cannot say the same for future administrations that would have these powers at their disposal. We must let Congress and the President know that this law must be repealed. The actions of those who would protect us must be returned to the bounds of our constitution.
To that end, 17 towns and cities throughout the country, from Berkeley, Calif. to Burlington, Vermont to Eugene, just down the highway, have passed resolutions condemning the USA PATRIOT Act and calling for its repeal in whole or in part. I read with interest Mike Harrison’s comments in the 5 December Portland Mercury, in which he ponders what effect such a resolution could have. Make no mistake: such a resolution would largely be a symbolic act. But such symbols are vital. Portland’s decision not to aid the Justice Department in its interrogation had some measurable impact in protecting the rights of Portland’s Muslims from unwarranted interrogations, but it was far more important as a symbol that prompted other cities to follow our lead. Americans in every state are coming to realize how troubling this act is, and the acts performed and contemplated under its aegis. We are looking to voice our concerns in any way we can. Please, help us. Please take up this cause. Craft and pass a resolution condemning this law and defending our Bill of Rights, and add Portland’s name to this list.
Make us proud of Portland—and our country—again.
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Long Story; Short Pier for December 6, 2002
After reading yesterday's acticle in the Portland Mercury, Kip Manley refers to our effort on his weblog. In the entry,
Portland Mercury for December 12, 2002
Over in Thursday's edition of the Portland Mercury comes a letter from someone we can only assume is previously-mentioned blogger