[Dryerase] The Alarm!--SC City Council passes resolution vs. USA PATRIOT Act

[The Alarm!Newswire]

USA Patriot Act under fire from SC City Council

By Halie Johnson
The Alarm! Newspaper

Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution opposing 
parts of the USA PATRIOT Act. Councilmember Mark Primack expressed his 
support for the resolution saying that parts of the USA PATRIOT Act 
were sure to cause distrust and weaken any community  “from the ground 
up.” In adopting this resolution, Santa Cruz is joining 13 other cities 
across the country that voiced their opposition to the Federal 
Government’s sweeping “anti-terrorist” legislation. It was said that 
twenty-two other cities are currently considering similar resolutions.

In short, the resolution affirms City Council’s opposition to those 
parts of the USA PATRIOT Act and certain Justice Department directives 
and executive orders that weaken or destroy civil rights and liberties. 
  The resolution calls for the protection of those rights contained in 
the Constitution. The resolution also requests that Congress “monitor 
the implementation of the USA PATRIOT Act, directives from Attorney 
John Ashcroft, and executive orders cited herein and actively work for 
the repeal of those parts of the USA PATRIOT Act and the withdrawal of 
those Justice Department directives and executive orders that violate 
fundamental rights and liberties.”

Members of the public spoke mostly in favor of the resolution; many 
applauded City Council for what they saw as a bold statement. Others 
complained that Council should not be investing energy in adopting a 
“foreign policy,” but should be making local issues top priority.

The Mayor will send a copy of the resolution to President Bush, local 
Congressional representatives and the UN High Commissioner for Human 
Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.

To view the USA PATRIOT Act in it’s entirety go to 
http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html or 
http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/lawsregs/patriot.pdf. To contact 
Santa Cruz City Council email, citycouncil at ci.santa-cruz.ca.us or call 
(831) 420-5020.
 
      All content Copyleft © 2002 by The Alarm! Newspaper. Except where 
noted otherwise, this material may be copied and distributed freely in 
whole or in part by anyone except where used for commercial purposes or 
by government agencies.