WaPo: Congressional Civil Liberties panel STILL hasn't met after 8 months

[Nothing Without Hope]

Now that Congress is getting ready to extend Patriot Act provisions, it's time and past time to evaluate its effects on civil liberties. But the committee called for eight months ago to do this has not even met.

It's just another paper promise from the Bush neocons.

According to the article, only one of the five members of this non-committee is a "liberal." We can guess the politics of the other four.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/07/AR2005080700903_pf.html

Civil Liberties Panel Is Off to a Sluggish Start

Critics Decry Administration's Lack of Urgency
By Caroline Drees
Reuters
Monday, August 8, 2005; Page A13

A civil liberties board ordered by Congress last year has never met to discuss its job of protecting rights in the fight against terrorism, and critics say it is a toothless, under-funded shell with inadequate support from President Bush.

Lawmakers including some Republicans, civil rights advocates, a member of the Sept. 11 commission and a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board have expressed concerns.

(snip)

The intelligence reform law of December 2004 called for the oversight board in response to a recommendation from the Sept. 11 commission, which feared that increased governmental powers needed to fight terrorism could erode civil liberties.

(snip)

But almost eight months after its inception, critics say the panel still exists only on paper, and lacks the money, power and presidential backing to ensure the entire government respects Americans' rights.

(snip)

[wli]

1. this is because there is no intention of "defending" civil liberties

They rather intend to revoke them all, and all rights along with them.

[Nothing Without Hope]

2. Exactly. It's so typical of the brazen lies of the Bush Administration to

gesture grandly (as with pretending to set up this committee) and then switch attention and let the gesture die before it acomplishes anything but public relations. Same thing happened with the underfunding of "no child left behind" and so much else.

The initial gesture gets news coverage, the behind-the-scenes destruction of any possible real accomplishment is silent.

Protect civil liberties? That's the opposite of what this administration is about.

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. This is a good example of how the Bush Administration operates -

big lies and broken promises - and the assumption that no one will ever call them on it.