October 24, 2003
Commissioner Saltzman Releases Text Of Proposed USA PATRIOT Act Resolution
In a press release marked "For Immediate Release" and dated October 27, 2003, Commissioner Dan Saltzman has officially announced his proposed City Council resolution in protest of certain aspects of the USA PATRIOT Act. Here is the text of the release:
Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman will be bringing a resolution before Portland City Council this Wednesday, October 29, that calls upon the Federal Government to protect civil liberties as we engage in our battle against terrorism. Saltzman's resolution calls upon Congress to revise the USA PATRIOT ACT by narrowly tailoring it so that it provides law enforcement with the tools needed to fight terrorism while protecting the rights that are at the heart of our democracy.
"In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy there is no doubt that federal, state and local governments need to protect the public from terrorist attacks," said Commissioner Saltzman "but this battle can not be waged at the expense of the fundamental freedoms that define us as Americans. I have serious concerns that the USA PATRIOT ACT may sacrifice civil liberty in the name of security."
"Certain aspects of the PATRIOT ACT are necessary for security in the post-9/11 world," Saltzman continued, "for example increasing the level of cooperation between law enforcement and foreign intelligence services. However, the threat of terrorism doesn’t warrant dramatically scaling back the right to due process of law, the right of privacy or the right to counsel."
"In fact," Saltzman continued, "the growing climate of fear of the federal government's powers under the PATRIOT ACT undermines our national unity and resolve. We really can be safe without being afraid of our government. It simply requires that security measures be narrowly tailored to fit national security needs."
Saltzman expressed particular concern at the indefinite detention of people without charges being filed; the singling out of individuals for scrutiny based solely on their country of origin; searches of people's homes with no notice; and defining terrorism so broadly that it may be used against domestic political protesters.
Of course, all of these concerns were true when the Act was first passed, true when communities across the country started passing resolutions more than a year ago, and true when the Portland Bill of Rights Defense Committee (perpetual disclaimer: I used to work with this group) first approached City Council members about passing a resolution here.
At any rate, you can read a Word document of the resolution via Saltzman's website, or read a pdf of the resolution courtesy of me, since I bothered to convert it. Feel free to compare it to what the PDX BoRDC was pitching, which then underwent signficant revisions during negotiations with Saltzman's office.