10/18/04 - Civil Liberties Action Alert
From: Adrienne Kaltman, Board Member, kaltman82@aol.com

I urge all of you to go to
http://www.capwiz.com/lwv/issues/alert/?alertid=3110286 to send an
important message to your legislators regarding civil liberties and HR 10.

"On Friday, before Congress recessed, both Houses passed legislation to
overhaul the organization of U.S. intelligence operations based upon the
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission: H.R. 10 and S. 2845. The bills are headed into a conference committee this week that will be tasked with
reconciling these two very different bills before the election.

The Senate's bipartisan National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004, S. 2845,
closely follows the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and has the
support of many Commission members. The conferees from both Houses will work during the recess to come up with a bill that accommodates both. It is critical that provisions such as these be thoughtfully considered, not
rushed through at the end of the congressional session. It is essential that
we protect basic civil liberties as the nation seeks to guard against
terrorism and other threats to national security.

H.R. 10 goes beyond the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, expands the government's investigative and prosecutorial powers, and threatens civil liberties. This legislation includes law enforcement powers not called for by the Commission, but included in "Patriot Act 2" and other similar proposals. One provision eliminates basic judicial review over unfair,
arbitrary deportations of immigrants. Another broadens the definition of
"material support" so that an individual who associates with a suspected
terrorist group would be subject to indictment, even if that individual did
not engage in any terrorist activities or provide funds for terrorist acts.
Finally, H.R. 10 creates a de-facto national identification card."

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