(President) Bush launches campaign to get extension of anti-terror provisions

Yahoo! News ^ | 4/17/04 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (AFP) -

President George W. Bush (news - web sites) launched a campaign to get an extension of controversial anti-terrorism legislation passed after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Insisting that the USA Patriot Act had helped prevent more terrorist attacks, Bush criticised members of Congress, who include Democratic presidential contender John Kerry (news - web sites), for threatening to block the renewal of parts of the legislation next year.

"Some politicians in Washington act as if the threat to America will also expire on that schedule," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

"Yet we have seen what the terrorists intend for us, in deadly attacks from Bali to Mombassa to Madrid."

He added: "To abandon the Patriot Act would deprive law enforcement and intelligence officers of needed tools in the war on terror, and demonstrate willful blindness to a continuing threat."

The act gave the US government new powers to use wiretaps, electronic surveillance and other information gathering. Opponents say it violates civil liberties.

Kerry, joined the bulk of senators in voting for the legislation after the attacks on New York and Washington.

But he has since turned against it saying in a recent speech that "Bush used the Patriot Act in a way that was never intended and for things that have nothing to do with terrorism."

Bush said that since the act was passed "terror cells" in six Ameriocan cities have been broken up and since September 11 more than 300 people have been charged with terrorist-related offences. More than half have been convicted or pleaded guilty.

The president said "law enforcement and intelligence personnel must be allowed to share more information, so that we can better pursue terrorists inside the United States."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency (news - web sites) have been criticised at the official commission looking into the attacks of for their lack of action before September 11.

But the president said "the Patriot Act tore down the artificial wall between the FBI (news - web sites) and CIA (news - web sites), and enhanced their ability to share the information needed to hunt terrorists."

And he insisted that the act defends the United States "in a way that is fully consistent with constitutional protections."

The legislation has faced political and some judicial opposition however.

More than 100 cities and one state have passed resolutions condemning the act because of the increased powers. The California town of Arcata even passed a local law making it an offence to cooperate with the Patriot Act.

In January, a US court struck down part of the law which banned giving "expert advice or assistance" to terrorist groups.

Judge Audrey Collins ruled it was too broad and limited free speech after aid groups that work with Kurds in Turkey and Tamils in Sri Lanka had started the action saying they were afraid to organise conferences or publish political material.

The Justice Department (news - web sites) is reviewing the decision.

Bush said that next week he will go to Hershey in Pennsylvania and Buffalo in New York to see police and other investigators who have been using the act. "They know we must not let down our guard. The war on terror will be won on the offensive, so Congress must renew the Patriot Act," the president said.

[NormsRevenge]

Two anti-war protestors wearing masks of US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) demonstrate outside Downing street in London. Bush launched a campaign to get an extension of controversial anti-terrorism legislation passed after the September 11 attacks in 2001.(AFP/Odd Andersen)

[NormsRevenge]

.. the president said "the Patriot Act tore down the artificial wall between the FBI (news - web sites) and CIA (news - web sites), and enhanced their ability to share the information needed to hunt terrorists."

[NormsRevenge]

an artificial wall put up by those sworn to protect and preserve our constitution and way of life...

[ken5050]

Seems to me that one benefit of the hideous 9/11 comission hearing will be the easy passage of the bill to confirm all the provisions of the Patriot ACt to be permanent..indeed, Kerry's been often said he wants to make changes..he'll be hard pressed NOW to opposes any provisions..which is gona piss off a part of his base..

[DoughtyOne]

Mr. President, stop immigration from terrorist states. Stop the international flood of people across our southern border. Start inspecting all import containers.

I and my family are not a threat to this nation. The above issues are a clear and present danger.

I don't necessarily have a problem with the Patriot Act, but am willing to listen to arguements from people that do. I have a huge problem with the above issues, that don't even register on the President's radar.

I'll vote for Bush, but I do have some issues. I also like a number of things he's doing.

[Grampa Dave]

Actually the artificial wall was set up by Gorelick to enable the Clintoons to do whatever looting they wanted to do. It enabled the the Islamofascists/kazis to have free reign in America until after 9/11.

Ernest, please post your links to Gorelick and the damage she has done to our country via the wall and other actions.

[inquest]

Seems to me that one benefit of the hideous 9/11 comission hearing will be the easy passage of the bill to confirm all the provisions of the Patriot ACt to be permanent.

If anything's clear from the 9/11 commission, it's that the Patriot Act is superfluous. We're not suffering from a lack of information. As the inquiries have made abundantly clear, we have more information than we know what to do with. What we need is better processing of it, and in particular more translators. There's no evidence that better snooping powers would have prevented 9/11, but there's plenty of evidence that better attention to infomation we already had most certainly could have.

[mrsmith]

I hope the Patriot Act can be looked at responsibly next year.

"SEC. 224. SUNSET. (a) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in subsection (b), this title and the amendments made by this title (other than sections 203(a), 203(c), 205, 208, 210, 211, 213, 216, 219, 221, and 222, and the amendments made by those sections) shall cease to have effect on December 31, 2005. "

[John Thornton]

These debates can be so vague. Extend the PATRIOT Act? Rescind the PATRIOT Act? I wish someone---pro or con---would bring the debate down to specifics. What language in the law helps us catch terrorists? What language in the law allegedly hinders civil liberties?

[DoughtyOne]

Yep. Sadly, that's a little focused upon truth.

Freeh's aversion to technological advances was an astounding factoid to read about. He hated computers and did not promote their use from what I understand. Yikes. No wonder they had a hard time processing data.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OK--- used Gorelick as Keyword for search

_________________________________________________________

Documents regarding Gorelick ---as keyword

_________________________________________________________________________

Backhoe also has a list:

GORELICK GATE: Developing...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Freeh hated computers....he must have a story about using punched cards in his college programming classes and had to wait overnight for his answers to come back to him .... yada yada.....

[votelife]

the Dems might just filibuster the Patriot act so Kerry can say he's for it, if he had the chance to vote for it!

[lonestar]

If anything's clear from the 9/11 commission, it's that the Patriot Act is superfluous. We're not suffering from a lack of information. As the inquiries have made abundantly clear, we have more information than we know what to do with. What we need is better processing of it, and in particular more translators. There's no evidence that better snooping powers would have prevented 9/11, but there's plenty of evidence that better attention to infomation we already had most certainly could have.

The Patriot Act allows the sharing of the information you speak of. The CIA and FBI could not share info before.

[inquest]

The information-sharing provisions of the Patriot Act are not the controversial provisions, as the President well knows, his attempt at diversion notwithstanding. At controversy are the snooping provisions, which no one has demonstrated a clear need for.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well lookie here:

Bill Clinton's remarks 8-29-96 (Fighting terrorism )

See comment at post #9, Clinton was for capabilities now in the Patriot Act it seems.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes that's interesting.

[jwalsh07]

If anything's clear from the 9/11 commission, it's that the Patriot Act is superfluous.

Exactly wrong, if anything is clear from the 9/11 hearings it is that the inability to collate information gathered by the FBI, CIA and State Agencies, due to the Church Committee and the Gorelick Wall, was the fatal flaw in our intelligence efforts.

[monkeywrench]

I know I've read that the Patriot Act was written on clinton's watch.

[inquest]

I should have been clear that I was referring to the snooping provisions.