December 19, 2002

Dark ages

I hope that I can still laugh at this over the next few years.

But it looks like it may not be funny anymore:

The USA Patriot Act changes some of Americans' fundamental legal rights in the name of the war on terror, including:

• Freedom of association: The government may monitor religious and political groups without evidence of criminal activity.
  
• Right to liberty: Americans may be jailed without being charged or being able to confront witnesses against them.
  
• Freedom from unreasonable searches: The government may search and seize Americans' papers and effects without probable cause to aid terrorism investigation.
  
• Freedom of speech: The government may prosecute librarians, telecommunication company officials and anyone else who reveals they have received a subpoena for records related to the terrorism investigation.
  
• Right to legal representation: The government may monitor penal communications between attorneys and clients, and deny lawyers to Americans accused of crimes.
  
• Right to a speedy and public trial: The government may jail Americans indefinitely without a trial.
  
• Freedom of information: The government has closed once-public immigration hearings, secretly detained hundreds of people without charges, and has encouraged bureaucrats to resist requests for public records under the Freedom of Information Act.
  
  

[via Wired]

December 19, 2002 02:14 AM