F.B.I. RESPONDS TO CITY OF ITHACAS' PATRIOT ACT RESOLUTION

WHCU ITHACA ^ | April 30, 2003

[Behind Liberal Lines]

CITY OF ITHACA OFFICIALS HAVE RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM THE F-B-I REGARDING THE RESOLUTION PASSED IN FEBRUARY STATING COMMON COUNCIL'S OPPOSITION TO THE U-S-A PATRIOT ACT.

IN A LETTER DATED MARCH 25TH, 2003...SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE KEITH DeVINCENTIS FROM THE F-B-I OFFICE IN ALBANY STATES THAT THE PATRIOT ACT DOES NOT ALLOW THE BUREAU TO OBTAIN PERMISSION FOR SEARCH WARRANTS OR WIRETAPS WITHOUT FIRST OBTAINING A COURT ORDER. DeVINCENTIS SAYS THOSE COURT ORDERS CAN BE ISSUED BY A FEDERAL JUDGE "ONLY AFTER A JUDGE FINDS THAT THE PROPOSED INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUE MEETS OR SURPASSES LONG-ESTABLISHED CONSTITUTIONAL STANDARDS."

5TH WARD ALDERMAN DAN COGAN SAYS HE WAS "AMUSED" BY THE PASSAGE IN THE LETTER STATING THAT THE EMPLOYEES OF THE F-B-I VALUE CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTIES AS MUCH AS THE PEOPLE OF ITHACA DO, BUT SAYS HE WAS GLAD THE F-B-I TOOK THE TIME TO RESPOND.

COGAN, WHO AUTHORED THE COMMON COUNCIL RESOLUTION, SAYS IT WAS BASED ON AN ANALYSIS OF THE PATRIOT ACT DONE BY THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS DEFENSE COMMITTEE.

DeVINCENTIS WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT WHEN THE NEWSROOM CONTACTED HIS OFFICE.

THE CITY RESOLUTION REQUESTS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AT VARIOUS LEVELS INCLUDING THE F-B-I TO REPORT TO COMMON COUNCIL MONTHLY TO DISCLOSE ANY ACTIONS TAKEN UNDER THE PATRIOT ACT. DeVINCENTIS POINTED OUT THAT THIS VIOLATED THE SUPREMACY CLAUSE OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND COULD, IN FACT, VIOLATE THE PRIVACY OF THE VERY INDIVIDUALS ITHACA CLAIMS TO VALUE THE RIGHTS OF.

COGAN SAYS THE LETTER FROM DeVINCENTIS REPRESENTS THE FIRST CORRESPONDENCE OF ANY KIND RECEIVED FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES REGARDING THE REQUEST MADE IN THE RESOLUTION.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

The original text was published in all caps. Don't blame me.

The FBI is apparently responding to a resolution passed by Ithaca several months ago requiring that:

that "to the greatest extent legally possible, no City of Ithaca employee or department, or employee of any City agency, shall be required to cooperate with investigations, interrogations, surveillance, or arrest procedures, public or clandestine, that are judged to be in violation of individuals' civil rights or civil liberties as specified in the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution." **** The resolution goes on to state that law officials on the federal, state and local levels must "report publicly each month to the City of Ithaca Common Council and the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission on the extent and manner in which they have acted under the USA PATRIOT Act and new Executive Orders."

As I said back then:

Reasonable people can disagree over the Patriot Act, but this, like those "no war with Iraq" resolutions that some left wing cities are passing are, in my opinion, completely inappropriate wastes of taxpayer time and money.

Furthermore, under what authority are these people demanding that federal and state law enforcement officials report to them? And further demanding that their own employees refuse to cooperate with the law?

Finally, where were these idiots when Clinton was violating civil liberties all over the place?

Ithaca is the City of Evil.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

City of Evil. Bump

[nicmarlo]

I'm amused! : ) BTTT

[Soaring Feather]

Isn't it amazing the out of control egos in 'The City of Evil'?

City of Evil bump big time!!

[SpinyNorman]

Is it time to liberate Ithaca?

[FirstTomato]

Funny how these Ithaca leftists give lip service to how they support the Constitution, then don't support the Constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms, and to top it off pass resolutions encouraging their citizens to break the law.

Leftists are the first and foremost danger to our society and to all of Western Civilization. They seek to undermine each and every value that forms the basis of Western Civ, values that took thousands of years to coalesce, and another thousand to make real, culminating in the creation of the USA itself.

These leftists are the real enemy.

[NativeNewYorker]

Dan Cogan

Tuesday, October 23 2001 Contributed By: Kylie Spooner Local Candidates

Dan is running for Common Council in Ithaca's 5th Ward, which encompasses the Fall Creek neighborhood as well as the Cornell Heights neighborhood north of Cornell. Dan is running on the Green, Democratic, and Working Families lines.

I was on the Board of Directors of Ithaca HOURS for two years, serving as Teasurer and, most recently, as President. I'm still involved as chairperson of the circulation committee. I've been working with the Citizens' Planning Alliance for the past 4 years, for which I am currently the Treasurer. I am a past member of the GreenStar Council and currently sit on the GreenStar Finance Committee. I am a member of the Ithaca League of Stiltwalkers, a group that performs political theater and makes people smile.

Within the ward, there are concerns about increasing traffic, lack of bike lanes, dilapidated properties, and poor communication between the Department of Public Works and city residents. In the city as a whole, there are concerns about the large expenditures for lawsuits and cost overruns on projects and the focus on development in the Southwest at the expense of downtown. People want to maintain the livability and quality of life in Ithaca while preventing high property tax rates from going higher.

I work as an engineer for Taitem Engineering, a small engineering firm downtown that does work in energy conservation, indoor air quality, and HVAC design. I have a masters degree in environmental engineering from Cornell and a bachelors in civil engineering from UC Berkeley. I have worked as a computer programmer and a waste management specialist.

I would like to foster more communication between residents and City Hall. We need to do a better job of managing our limited resources and we need to pay more attention to the downtown. The livability and pedestrian-friendly nature of our city is one of our greatest assets, and is one that we need to emphasize and build on. It's long past time that the bike plan was implemented. We need to focus on encouraging the development of more high-tech businesses downtown, businesses that will bring more people downtown and will provide good jobs and will bring dollars flowing into the local economy rather than out.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20010726171955397.html

[Scothia]

Reasonable people can disagree over the Patriot Act, but this, like those "no war with Iraq" resolutions that some left wing cities are passing are, in my opinion, completely inappropriate wastes of taxpayer time and money.

It's like Sister City of Evil, Santa Cruz, passing the Nuclear Free Zone resolution. As if, say, Kim Jong Il had best heed that their city said his nukes can't explode there. I always thought that was supremely silly, and came from watching too many cartoons.

(Look, BLL! I did it! Thanks!)

[Darksheare]

Sounds like Ithaca is trying to protect it's 'vested interest' in crime and evil.

Sounds like the Feebers have fired a volley over their upturned noses as a warning that they are still under the rule of law.
Wonder how long that will last until they decide to get stupid?
Wait.. we're talking about Ithaca after all..
.03 seconds.

[Tamzee]

Ahhh, the link explains it... Dan Cogen is a Green.

[Publicus]

Speaking of sleazy Ithaca officials and kickbacks...

1. Do you believe YOUR hard earned tax money should be used by Ithaca officials to fund private development projects- even if they are not, repeat NOT, even commercially viable in their own right?

2. Do you believe YOUR hard earned tax money should be used by Ithaca officials to pressure a productive, law-abiding citizen to abandon his livelihood and business he has painstakingly built over 15 years?

3. Do you believe YOUR hard earned tax money should be used by Ithaca officials to threaten a productive, law-abiding citizen to sell his property to a friend of theirs otherwise they will seize the property using eminent domain?

4. Do you believe YOUR hard earned tax money should be used by Ithaca officials to facilitate the sale of the woman's ownership share in the property WITHOUT her prior knowledge nor permission nor any compensation to her?

5. Do you believe YOUR hard earned tax money should be used by Ithaca officials to fund kickbacks to the perpetrators of illegal acts- i.e. rewarding them for their crimes with YOUR money?

If your answer is no to ANY of the foregoing questions, call the Ithaca officials involved (below) and let them know.
--

Alan J. Cohen Phone: (607)274-6501
Email: mayor@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Paulette Manos
Phone: (607) 273-4170
Email: paulettem@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Susan Blumenthal
Phone: (607) 272-3931
Email: susanb@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council MemberPatricia Pryor
Phone: (607) 273-1741
Email: patp@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member David Whitmore
Phone: (607) 273-1254
Email: davidw@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Diann Sams
Phone: (607) 277-8188
Email: dianns@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Patricia Vaughan
Phone: (607) 273-3870
Email: patv@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Carolyn Peterson
Phone: (607) 272-8129
Email: carolynp@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Peter Mack
Phone: (607) 253-7070
Email: peterm@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Daniel Cogan
Phone: (607) 273-2076
Email: dcogan@cityofithaca.org

Ithaca Common Council Member Edward Hershey
Phone: (607) 272-0590
Email: enh2@cornell.edu

[Soaring Feather]

bump