Support the Patriot Act tonight at Teaneck, NJ Town Meeting

2/15/05 | Ziva

[Ziva]

On Tuesday, February 15 at 7:30 at Teaneck Town Hall, the Town Council will have a workshop to consider a resolution to officially refuse to comply with Section 215 of the Patriot Act. On February 8, members of the public, many from outside of Teaneck, spoke out in support of this notion.

I have posted my detailed examination of the claims made that night against the Patriot Act, showing how they are either misguided or deceitful.

This document has been given to all Teaneck Town Council members in printed form, and is being circulated with the media. A copy can be found http://teaneckgop.com/patriotact.doc

This document also proposes a new resolution that it be the policy of the Township of Teaneck to comply with the USA Patriot Act as federal law requires. Details of the resolution are included.

There will be a coalition of groups there to undermine the Patriot Act. Please join me to show your support for it. Speeches are permitted as long as they are limited to three minutes which is strictly enforced.

Teaneck Town Hall is located in the municipal complex at the corner of Teaneck Road and Cedar Lane in Teaneck, NJ. FReepmail me if you have any questions.

[Ziva]

Here is my three-minute speech from last week.

I, for one, am grateful that I live in a country which guarantees freedom of speech, including hysterical rantings and outright lies that you have heard today from the Teaneck Peace & Justice Coalition. However, as members of the Town Council, you have an obligation to use logic and reason, truth and reality, and an actual reading of the law to determine your actions.

I consulted with Arizona Senator Jon Kyl concerning these matters. He is the Chairman of the Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and therefore quite knowledgeable about the Patriot Act and how it has been applied.

Section 215 to the Patriot Act does not even mention libraries. It refers to the general category of business records. It grants subpoena power to the FBI for select business records, such as motel visits, Wal-Mart purchases, and flight school records when a judge authorizes it when investigating crimes related to terrorism.

Subpoenaing business records is not a new law. It has already existed for a long time related to other areas of federal concern, such as organized crime. The Patriot Act merely extended it to include crime related to terrorism.

The Justice Department says libraries have become a logical target of surveillance in light of evidence that some 9-11 hijackers used library computers to communicate with each other.

By the way, the number of times library records have been requested using Section 215 happens to be zero. I now address the very credibility of the Teaneck Peace & Justice Coalition.

In a flyer they handed out in December, the Coalition lied about some of the groups they claim support their opposition to the Patriot Act. Two spokesman for the National Rifle Association (NRA) informed me by phone and in writing that the NRA does not take any position on the Patriot Act, nor anything outside of the purview of the Second Amendment.

Eagle Forum’s John Schlafly told me that the Eagle Forum does not take a position on the Patriot Act, or any aspect of it.

Then I tried to find the "National Gun Owners Association." It simply does not exist. Well, it actually does exist in a computer game called "The Political Machine." Oh yes, there is a Bulgarian National Gun Owners Association. The bottom line is the Coalition is lying by claiming the support of a nonexistent organization and several real ones as well.

These falsehoods cast doubt on the rest their claims. Section 215, whether extended or repealed, will have no impact on the library and its patrons. What may be injured, however, is the federal government’s ability to investigate and prevent acts of terrorism on very rare occasions.

The FBI cannot arbitrarily seek to view library records. It requires a court order and proof to the court that there already has been an ongoing terrorism-based investigation of the subject.

They fear that you could be seen as suspicious if you wanted "to learn something about Islam, terrorism, the Taliban, the war in Iraq." If that is what it takes to be considered a suspicious character, then sign me up. Me and millions of other people who have taken books out about those topics. It strains credulity to think the FBI has nothing better to do than go on fishing expeditions among ordinary citizens merely on the basis of such common interests.

Finally, why does the library even keep records on books that have long been returned? Wouldn't that database be potentially available to certain library workers or municipal employees? Doesn't that concern the members of the Coalition?

The position of the Coalition on Section 215 of the Patriot Act is inconsistent, misleading, and full of deceit. I ask that you avoid potentially interfering with a terrorism investigation and not pass the resolution that they request.

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A more detailed analysis is at http://teaneckgop.com/patriotact.doc

[eno_]

Why would any rational person support the further federalization of law enforcement - when was THAT ever a good idea?

What evidence do you have it won't simply keep getting worse?

[eno_]

That is a job for...

a) The State Department to screen visas more carefully, and to re-screen visa holders and naturalized citizens for visa fraud related to affiliation with terrorist organizations.

b) External security departments.

Giving up our rights is exactly the wrong solution. Why would anyone risk their lives to defend the "soft cage?" I pay enough that the government can hire mercenaries to keep this tax cow safe.