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If critics of the USA Patriot Act are correct, the Fairbanks City Council may have spent more time pondering a...     Read More

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During this past weekend Mike Lawless, carrying a copy of the Bill of Rights in his pocket and the Fairbanks...     Read More

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JUNEAU—Inspired by a resolution passed by the Fairbanks City Council, Senate Minority Leader Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, is working on a...     Read More

House Takes Stand Against Patriot Act   [Santa Fe New Mexican]

By an overwhelming vote, the House on Monday passed legislation putting the state on record as opposing many provisions of...     Read More

Santa Fe Police Detain Library Patron   [American Libraries]

A St. John’s College Library visit by a former public defender was abruptly interrupted February 13 when city police officers...     Read More

Librarians try to alter Patriot Act   [San Francisco Chronicle]

Along with the usual reminders to hold the noise down and pay overdue fines, library patrons in Santa Cruz are...     Read More

Red Alert for Bill of Rights!   [The Village Voice]

The Justice Department ... seems to be running amok ... This agency right now is the biggest threat to personal...     Read More

Portland case could put to test Patriot Act   [Oregon Statesman Journal]

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Judge Rejects Challenge to FBI Spy Powers   [U.K. Guardian Unlimited]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The FBI does not have to explain why it applied for search warrants to bug homes...     Read More

DOJ Drafts Sweeping Expansion of the UPA   [The Center for Public Integrity]

(WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2003) -- The Bush Administration is preparing a bold, comprehensive sequel to the USA Patriot Act passed...     Read More

Ashcroft Out of Control   [The Village Voice]

Many of the new security measures proposed by our government in the name of fighting the "war on terror" are...     Read More

It was a good day for the 6th Amendment   [NorthJersey.com]

Score one for the 6th Amendment. U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey ruled on Tuesday that the government must allow lawyers...     Read More

Supreme Court Justice Scalia Bans Media   [Common Dreams News Center]

CLEVELAND—Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has banned broadcast media from an appearance Wednesday where he will receive an award for...     Read More

Court stiff-arms privacy challenge   [Los Angeles Times]

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a preliminary challenge to the government's expanded powers to wiretap and search people...     Read More

Ashcroft: Criticism of DOJ "aiding terrorists"   [Declan McCullagh's Politech]

The Washington Post yesterday said in an editorial:  >Mr. Ashcroft may not like the criticism. But his job...     Read More

Group raises funds to send delegate to Juneau

By DAN RICE, Staff Writer
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (website)
3/31/2003

A fundraising campaign began in an upstairs room at University Community Presbyterian Church Sunday when a woman whipped out a $20 dollar bill and placed the Jackson on a table surrounded by members of the Fairbanks Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

The donation spurred others in the group to reach for their back pockets and toss a few bills toward the pot, which was collected to help pay to send a delegate to Juneau to meet with state Legislators and lobby for a state resolution opposing the U.S.A. Patriot Act and "other federal policies that threaten civil rights."

With committee members already vowing to pay for his plane ticket, in part by donating frequent flyer miles, Mike Lawless, the chosen delegate, had earlier told the group not to worry about any personal expenses he might incur on the trip, considering he had a tent and sleeping bag and was willing to sleep somewhere on the beach if necessary.

But committee members decided a hotel might be more appropriate and help Lawless maintain a more refreshed appearance when he tries to meet with members of the state House of Representatives and Senate.

Lawless' trip dominated much of the talk about logistics during Sunday's meeting, which was attended by 16 members of the Fairbanks Bill of Rights Defense Committee. The group meets every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the University Community Presbyterian Church off College Road to discuss ways to promote their message in the community and persuade elected officials to pursue their cause.

If Sunday's discussion offered any clue, committee members seem to come from a variety of ideological backgrounds but all share the goal of trying to prevent any infringement upon the rights outlined in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The group's current efforts in local circles include trying to garner support in favor of the borough assembly and the North Pole City Council passing resolutions denouncing the Patriot Act, which grants the federal government broad new surveillance powers and restricts what government information can be accessed by the public.

Much to the praise of the committee, the Fairbanks City Council passed a resolution opposing the Patriot Act in January, and the group hopes the other two local governing bodies will follow.

With the war in Iraq, Karen Parr, who led Sunday's meeting, cautioned the group to be sensitive that their message of protecting civil rights does not get confused with a lack of concern for the endangered troops.

"These aberrations of our civil rights are not necessary to prosecute a war," she said.

One member of the group suggested hosting a rally in which the group could carry signs reading, "Support our troops and support our Bill of Rights so it's here when they get back."

In support of its efforts toward passing a statewide resolution, the committee has drafted a proposed resolution in which it outlined several new government powers contained in the Patriot Act that it considers objectable.

As interpreted by the committee, those powers include the authorization to incarcerate or deport noncitizens even if they have not committed a crime, limit supervision over telephone and Internet surveillance, conduct searches during which the subject is unaware that their property is being searched and inspect citizens' sensitive personal records.

Close

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