Arcata the defiant: Town ordinance penalizes officials who cooperate with Patriot Act

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/13/03 | Kevin Fagan

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Arcata, that tiny North Coast bastion of the robustly liberal, has quietly made itself the first city in the nation to outlaw voluntary compliance with the USA Patriot Act.

Town leaders know their new law outlawing the bigger law is probably illegal. And they don't know anyone local who's had troubles because of the Patriot Act.Arcata, that tiny North Coast bastion of the robustly liberal, has quietly made itself the first city in the nation to outlaw voluntary compliance with the USA Patriot Act.

[Quick1]

Are you sure it's that simple? Who gets to define what a terrorist is?

[Cultural Jihad]

For starters, in spite of some facetious calls here to arrest the Arcata councilmembers for allegedly supporting terrorism, they haven't been and won't be.

[WOSG]

Brian Willson, the national peace protester who lost his legs trying to block a Concord munitions train in 1987, lives in Arcata and helped draft the law.

"Brian Willson, 1987 Darwin Award winner for stupid protesting tricks, ...."

[WOSG]

"I say Bush should WACO them!"

Uh, only Janet Reno can do that.

The Bush way would be to let them suffer from the consequences of their own action. eg, this will likely be a hint to terrorists "Come to this terrorist-friendly community!"

[aruanan]

I say Bush should WACO them!

No, they're just doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. Those who passed the "Patriot" Act did the wrong thing for the right reasons.

[handk]

I say Bush should WACO them!

Let me get this straight. You'd like to have the people of Arcata burned and gassed to death for mounting mild opposition to a law which essentially destroys the Bill of Rights, and you're tag line reads "The Preamble to the Bill of Rights - without it, our Bill of Rights is meaningless!"

Are you psychotic? Split-personality? Dementia? Are you criminally insane?

The contradictions are too vast to even contemplate.

[demosthenes the elder]

good link. I must agree with the EFF on their limiting recommendations.

[tpaine]

I say Bush should WACO them!
Obviously your thinking that x42 and Reno are still in office.
12 -AT-



Obviously, -- you're forgetting that the bureraucracy, and the mindset that faciltated the deed, -- are still in office.

[nanny]

Knowing what books I read, where I spend my money, how much I make, and where I made it aren't part of those things. If people are so worried about terrorism, we should be pushing the government to lock down our borders and ports of entry. We're supposed to be the land of the free, people.

Warning: sarcasm - Haven't you heard, "If you have nothing to hide, why worry?"

[plusone]

Hillary will, once she is elected Chancellor...

[squarebarb]

I looked up Brian Willson through Google and his webpage is the usual "Oh how slowly I came to realize America was evil..." Claims to be a Vietnam Vet but may be one of those ubiquitous phonies because he doesn't give his unit, or year he was in VN but of course claims to have seen horrendous scenes of napalmed civilians. Any Air Force vets here who can check him out? If he is a phoney he needs to be outed to the city council.

[plusone]

Here is the logic. The Patriot Act was passed during the term of an 'R' president. Therefore, it must be good. Of course, no one stops to think about what happens once a 'D' president comes along.

[gogov]

"As Arcata goes, . . . so goes Eureka."

They both are all wet. You get any sun up there yet?

[plusone]

Here's a better one, 'out of sight, out of mind'. The less the govt knows about you; the better you can hide your affairs from their meddling, the better off you are. But with the PA and its various sequels, it gets more and more difficult to keep your business to yourself.

[Clinging Bitterly]

>> Ah, the Patriot act. Nothing like taking away freedoms under a PC feel-good name.

Yup. To expand on what you said about them doing this, I'd agree that it appears a good, principled thing that a local authority would insist that it's agents act within the constitution. Looking at who is behind this and their backgrounds, though, it rather seems the action of this city is probably something less. I'm thinking that if Janet Reno were still in charge of the DOJ, they probably wouldn't have a problem with the Patriot Act (excepting maybe the word "patriot").

But I'm with you on the principle side of it. There is potential for trouble here when & if we get another President Clinton and they come for the Christian gun owners, but until then, I'll stick with "deep concern" (which means, I don't like it even a little bit, but I don't know what to do about it).

Dave in Eugene

[FierceDraka]

If I may throw my two cents in...

The so-called "patriot" act is nothing of the sort. Draconian legislation like that needs to be opposed - the Fourth Amendment has been mauled badly enough in the name of drug-free this and drug-frre that. Where does one draw the line in the sand as far as our liberties go?

Also, did anyone stop to notice that the entire "patriot" act appeared full-blown right after 9-11? They had that pre-written and waiting in the wings for a disaster like that.

[buffyt]

I have no problem with the Patriot Act with Bush in office. But if Hillary is ever president she would scare me with all that power. She is evil, dishonest, power hungry. She had no problem illegally obtaining all those 1000 or so FBI files after all..... She really scares the socks off me!

[Quick1]

Exactly! People seem to be thinking that a Dem will never be elected president again. I have a feeling that if the Patriot act were signed into law under a D president, there would be no end to the weeping and gnashing of teeth here, while DU would be mysteriously silent on it.

[Quick1]

The only thing more scary than that is the fact that practically ZERO of the Senators or Congresspeople had the time to read the 394 page document before passing it with virtually no opposition.

If we throw our rights away because of terrorists, then the terrorists have already... well, you know the cliche. :)

[nanny]

Here's a better one, 'out of sight, out of mind'.

Yep, better to fly under the radar if possible.