VOTE ALERT: Sanders Privacy Bill Draws Veto Threat
http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=80A75511-DC28-E526-AB5C8A04F3E64715VOTE ALERT: Sanders Privacy Bill Draws Veto Threat
In a preview of the kind of gutsy moves he will take as a U.S. Senator, Vermont's Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders is preparing to offer an amendment today forcing the FBI to get a warrant before accessing citizens' reading habits at libraries and bookstore purchases. The USA Patriot Act allows the feds to do these kinds of searches with almost no judicial oversight - Sanders amendment would simply modify that specific provision to force more stringent checks on the federal government's power. Unfortunately, even though the President publicly says "there has got to be a certain sense of privacy," the White House is threatening to veto the bill if the amendment passes.
In 2003, Sanders and a bipartisan group of lawmakers tried to raise these same privacy concerns. The Justice Department opposed it, claimed "We're not going after the average American" and that "we respect the right to privacy" - and then refused to tell Congress how often it had used these new powers to secretly spy on people's reading habits. In fact, Judiciary Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) told the Associated Press "that the Justice Department was sharing so little information, he could not assess how the Patriot Act was working."
The numbers, however, have become clear. In a survey conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, about 550 libraries across the country reported receiving requests over the past year from federal and local investigators for records of patrons. Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft soon admitted that he had tripled the use of these secretive searches without warrants.
The last time this was voted on, the House GOP leadership held open the vote in the House for 23 minutes while arm-twisting their members to vote against it. The measure lost on a 210-210 tie, meaning this upcoming vote should be very close again, especially considering some of the Democrats who didn't vote for it last time have since been embarrassed into changing their position.
Let's be clear - no one is saying the FBI shouldn't be able to search through library/bookstore purchase records when investigating terrorists. All this measure says is that they should have to get a traditional warrant from a judge to do so - not that hard to do if the feds are investigating the kinds of awful and dangerous terrorists they promise us they are.
This requirement, which the Patriot Act runs roughshod over, is what makes our system different from a third-world police state: we have checks on police power. Getting a real warrant is a pretty basic requirement in a democratic society - and not too much to ask in protecting Americans' civil liberties. Urge your Member of Congress to support this amendment.
Sources:
Sanders bill draws White House veto threat:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/14/AR2005061401211.htmlBush says there needs to be "a certain sense of privacy":
http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/05/claim-vs-fact-bush-on-internet-privacy.htmlSensenbrenner says Congress given so little info:
http://bernie.house.gov/documents/articles/20030421102754.asp550 libraries report federal requests:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A1481-2003Apr9Ashcroft triples use of secret searches:
http://talkleft.com/new_archives/001978.htmlSanders' bill previously lost on a 210-210 tie:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37480-2004Jul8.htmlDemocrats who voted against Sanders have been embarrassed:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001979070_adamsmith14m.html 
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