Defend civil liberties against 'anti-terrorist' attack

To:  U.S. Congress

With the Domestic Security Enhancement Act, or Patriot Act II, the Department of Justice proposes to gut the freedoms of speech and assembly, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and cruel and unusual punishment, and the rights to due process and speedy and public trial, eliminate checks and balances between the police agencies and the courts, and do away with the public's right-to-know what its government is doing.

If enacted, the Patriot Act II would:
• authorize secret arrests including those of material witnesses who are not charged with a crime;
• bar defense attorneys from challenging use of secret evidence;
• deny the right to sue for information on detainees under the Freedom of Information Act;
• permit arrests and extraditions of citizens and non-citizens alike to countries with which the U.S. has no extradition treaties and without regard for those countries' humyn rights records;
• strip American citizenship from anyone who supports even the lawful activities of organizations the administration calls "terrorist;"
• create a new category of "domestic security surveillance" for terrorism investigations with looser standards than criminal investigations;
• provide for extended jail terms for common immigration offenses; and
• allow summary deportation to any country in the world, including those with no functioning government.

Patriot Act II would sacrifice basic Constitutional liberties, and thus be detrimental to the security of the majority of people living in the United States. We oppose this proposed legislation.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Defend civil liberties against 'anti-terrorist' attack Petition to U.S. Congress was created by Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM) and written by Laura Williams.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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