ACT NOW--NEW PATRIOT ACT

Act now at:
http://www.progressiveportal.org/cgi-bin/alertpage.cgi?ActionAlertsDiscussPP/read/message.html?mid=809994259&sort=d&start=232

Congress is about to vote on H.R. 10, a Draconian bill that further tramples civil liberties, and S. 2845 in the Senate:

H.R. 10, introduced by House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), and amendments to S. 2845 introduced by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), include such provisions as:
* further weakening of individual privacy rights in library, medical, and other personal records, removing all federal court oversight;
* explicit approval of transfer of prisoners suspected of terrorism to nations known to practice torture;
* elimination of habeas corpus relief (access to the courts) for those detained under repressive immigration measures;
* approval of automatic detention without bail in immigration matters at the government's request;
* approval of the use of secret evidence (secret even to the immigrant being examined) in immigration courts;
* deportation of immigrants before final appeal;
* expanded secret eavesdropping and search powers to be used against individuals suspected of terrorist activity, whether or not the individual is associated with a foreign power;
* expanded "material support" provisions, allowing guilt by association with a group targeted by the administration;
* allowing the death penalty in terrorism cases (with "terrorism" as defined in the USA PATRIOT Act);
* establishment of a national ID card, disguised as national standardization of drivers' licenses;
* establishment of a national electronic database for birth and death certificates, with permanent identifying information assigned to each individual, such as a national ID number;
* requiring biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, face-recognition software photos, or iris or retinal scans, in travel documents that would be used in domestic as well as overseas travel.

In addition, these proposals fail to respond to one of the 9/11 commission's key recommendations: establishment of a strong cross-agency board to monitor the civil-liberties practices and procedures of the executive branch and investigate reported violations.

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