Kucinich On Mr. Ashcroft In Cleveland And The USA PATRIOT Act
The following is a press release from August 20, 2003, by Kucinich's office in Congress
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Kucinich On Mr. Ashcroft In Cleveland And The USA PATRIOT Act
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, today issued the following statement on Attorney General John Ashcroft's visit to Cleveland to promote the USA PATRIOT Act:
"We should not be surprised that the Attorney General has kicked off a multi-state public relations tour to polish the image of the USA PATRIOT Act. It's clear that the more the public, the press, and Members of Congress learn the truth about this law and its effects, the less they want it.
"Just last month the House of Representatives, on a bi-partisan and overwhelming basis, passed an amendment I co-sponsored with Representatives Otter and Paul to roll back section 213 of the PATRIOT Act, which allowed for so-called "sneak and peak searches" or searches with delayed notification of a warrant. This was the first opportunity Members of Congress had to formally re-evaluate a section of a 342-page bill passed with little debate, the vote, which passed by almost a three to one margin, was no doubt just the first resounding rebuke to the tactics employed by the PATRIOT Act.
"The USA PATRIOT Act threatens the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. It's a bill that permits the government to conduct criminal investigations without probable cause, to conduct secret searches, to gain wide powers of phone and internet surveillance, and access highly personal medical, financial, mental health, and student records with minimal judicial oversight. Because of the PATRIOT Act, non-citizens can be jailed based on mere suspicion and be denied re-admission to the United States for engaging in free speech. Suspects convicted of no crime may be detained indefinitely in 6-month increments without meaningful judicial review. Even worse, most of these powers are not limited to terrorism offenses, but instead apply to all federal investigations, like petty drug and theft crimes.
"No amount of spin from the media or the Attorney General himself can change the fact that Americans won't stand by while their basic liberties and freedom deteriorate under the Department of Justice's watch. Three states and 127 communities representing over 16 million people have already passed resolutions condemning the Act, and there will be more to come.
"America can be safe and free. New powers granted to government anti-terror initiatives must require that the power is necessary to thwart future attacks, and that the benefit of the new power outweighs its adverse effect on liberty. The USA PATRIOT Act fails this test. It fails the US Constitution, and it fails the people of this great nation."
When Congress returns from the August recess Kucinich will be offering a bill to repeal many aspects of the USA PATRIOT Act.
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