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[Michael Rumberg]

some folks may be less eloquent and more emotional than others.  but that
doesn't make them any less serious or responsible in their viewpoint.

we have all seen how legislation has steadily eroded at our legal rights to
engage in our hobby.

PBS and Bill Moyers, those paragons of paranoia and conspiracy theories,
have the same concerns as Ruff.

It is only my humble suggestion, but I suggest that before one dismisses
another's opinions as the nonsensical ravings of the lunatic mind, one
should personally fully inform oneself and vet the sources.

THAT is the American way.....

check out the following:
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from PBS's NOW with Bill Moyers Friday 02.07.03.

Breaking News

There's an important story developing tonight at the Justice Department. The
non-partisan Center for Public Integrity obtained a closely-guarded document
that shows plans for a sweeping  expansion of the government's police
powers.

Until now, few people outside of the department, not even members of key
congressional committees have seen this draft legislation. It could lead to
increased surveillance and greater secrecy  - all in the name of the war on
terror. It raises questions about how we balance liberty and security - the
rights of individuals versus the rule of law.

Bill Moyers talks to Chuck Lewis about the significance of the Domestic
Security  Enhancement Act of 2003 and how it would affect civil liberties.

http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/lewis.html



Read the Department of Justice Response (PDF)
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/03-082-opa.pdf

See who received the draft legislation (PDF) -- ONLY Dennis Hastert & VP
Cheney
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/distribution.pdf


READ THE DOCUMENT

Download the high resolution version (PDF)
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/patriot2-hi.pdf

Download the low resolution version (PDF)
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/patriot2-low.pdf



Civil Liberties and the Patriot Act:

The Center for Public Integrity
http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/home.asp
The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt
organization, was founded by Charles Lewis. The mission of the Center for
Public Integrity is to provide the American people with the findings of our
investigations and analyses of public service, government accountability and
ethics related issues. The Web site has many frequently updated features on
Issue Ads, Campaign Finance and Citizen Muckraking, among others. The site
is also home to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists,
which posts stories from all over the globe.

The Department of Homeland Security
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/
The Department of Homeland Security offers information about Homeland
Security legislation, the President's Homeland Security proposal, and
analysis of the department. Other features include transcripts of speeches
given by Governor Tom Ridge at the National Association of Broadcasters
Education Foundation 2002 Service to America Summit and President Bush's
Address to the Nation concerning homeland security. Online chat transcripts
with Governor Ridge are also included.

Homeland Security, Homeland Profits
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=1108
On the Corpwatch Web site (a corporate watchdog group), Wayne Madsen argues
that corporations are standing to make billions from selling "surveillance
and information-gathering systems to government agencies and the private
sector." Madsen cautions that this technology will be utilized to intimidate
and squelch dissent.

How the USA Patriot Act Puts the CIA Back in the Business of Spying On
Americans
http://www.aclu.org/congress/l102301j.html
In this issue brief, the American Civil Liberties Union argues that the USA
Patriot Act includes domestic espionage against American citizens. According
to the ACLU, the USA Patriot Act "permits a vast array of information
gathering on U.S. citizens from school records, financial transactions,
Internet activity, telephone conversations, information gleaned from grand
jury proceedings and criminal investigations to be shared with the CIA (and
other non-law enforcement officials) even if it pertains to Americans."

Preparing the U.S. Army for Homeland Security
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1251/
In this Rand Corporation publication, the organization analyzes the security
threats facing the U.S. and helps to clarify the U.S. Army's core
responsibilities in preventing and responding to attacks on the U.S.
homeland.

Seizing Dictatorial Power - William Safire
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/15/opinion/15SAFI.html
In this New York Times op-ed, journalist William Safire admonishes the Bush
Administration for usurping "dictatorial powers" in the prosecution and
sentencing of suspected terrorists. Safire trumpets a clarion call for all
"conservative iconoclasts and card-carrying hard-liners to stand up for
American values."

The Sons and Daughters of Liberty
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0226/hentoff.php
Village Voice correspondent Nat Hentoff reports on 300 citizens of
Northhampton, Massachusetts that organized a community meeting to resist the
USA Patriot Act. Under the banner of Northhampton Bill of Rights Defense
Committee, Hentoff describes the town's activism as a "new American
Revolution."

The Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee
http://www.bordc.org/
The Northampton Bill of Rights Defense Committee (NBORDC) is a grassroots
initiative that organized to resist the U.S.A Patriot Act. The NBORDC Web
site provides helpful tips to individuals and groups interested in creating
their own Bill of Rights Defense Committees in their communities. The Web
site also includes an issues page which analyzes provisions of the USA
PATRIOT Act and Federal Executive Orders in the context of the Bill of
Rights of the U.S. Constitution.

USA Patriot Act
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03162:
Thomas is the legislative search engine provided by the Library of Congress.
Thomas allows users to read the complete text of the USA Patriot Act, follow
its path through Congress and its many committees, review its co-sponsors in
Congress, and much more.

USA Patriot Act Includes Provisions on Student Records
http://www.acenet.edu/hena/issues/2001/11-05-01/patriot.act.cfm
The American Council on Education(ACE) highlights provisions in the USA
Patriot Act that authorizes the ability of the U.S. government to collect
detailed information on foreign students. According to ACE, the USA Patriot
Act also directs the U.S. Attorney General to implement an electronic
database to store and track foreign students from selected countries. Those
educational institutions that fail to authorize the intelligence network can
be denied the ability to accept foreign students.

Watching You: Systematic Federal Surveillance of Ordinary Americans
http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp69.pdf
A Cato Institute issue brief, "Watching You," documents the push to enact a
federal tracking system to monitor U.S. citizens in the aftermath of
September 11, 2001. If this federal tracking program is instituted, the Cato
Institute warns that the government "will have perverted its most
fundamental mission and destroyed the privacy and liberty that it was
supposed to protect."

Task of a Terror Czar
http://www.frc.org/get/ar01j4.cfm
Robert Maginnis of the Family Research Council makes recommendations to
ensure the effectiveness of the Gov. Tom Ridges' Department of Homeland
Security.

The Posse Comitatus Act: Can We Maintain American Freedom Without It?
http://www.freecongress.org/commentaries/020729.asp
In this essay, C. T. Rossi responds to Homeland Security head Tom Ridges'
attempt to repeal the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. The Posse Comitatus Act
barred the U.S. military from serving as a civilian police force,
effectively protecting the right of states and local communities to police
themselves. Its repeal, argues Rossi, "would open the door to old abuses"
and concentrate undue power in the federal government.