April 22, 2003 6:00 AM

Land of the free? Maybe not much longer....

Local Officials Rise Up to Defy The Patriot Act

You may not have noticed it, because it's happiness in small towns and in places that don't attract a lot of attention, but a groundswell against the USA PATRIOT Act is developing. It would appear that some thinking folks are beginning to realize that if they do not raise their voices against official oppression, no one else will. Take the city of Arcata, CA, for instance.

Last month, it joined the rising chorus of municipalities to pass a resolution urging local law enforcement officials and others contacted by federal officials to refuse requests under the Patriot Act that they believe violate an individual's civil rights under the Constitution. Then, the city went a step further.

This little city (pop.: 16,000) has become the first in the nation to pass an ordinance that outlaws voluntary compliance with the Patriot Act....

The Arcata ordinance may be the first, but it may not be the last. Across the country, citizens have been forming Bill of Rights defense committees to fight what they consider the most egregious curbs on liberties contained in the Patriot Act. The 342-page act, passed by Congress one month after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with little input from a public still in shock, has been most publicly criticized by librarians and bookstore owners for the provisions that force them to secretly hand over information about a patron's reading and Internet habits. But citizens groups are becoming increasingly organized and forceful in rebuking the Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Act for giving the federal government too much power, especially since a draft of the Justice Department's proposed sequel to the Patriot Act (dubbed Patriot II) was publicly leaked in January.

To date, Arcata is one of 89 cities that have passed anti-USA PATRIOT Act ordinances. Federal law, of course, trumps local law when it comes to enforcement, but the symbolic value is what is important. No, Arcata is not going to take on the federal government, but they are recognizing what many of us know to be true- that the USA PATRIOT Act is a poorly thought-out, hastily constructed assault on the personal freedoms of all Americans in the name of anti-terrorism. And who could be opposed to the war against terrorism?

In Arcata, where forums drew little debate, the new law is an unqualified hit. It passed by a vote of 4 to 1, but has what looks like near-unanimous approval from residents....

The fine for breaking the new law, which goes into effect May 2, is $57. It applies only to the top nine managers of the city, telling them they have to refer any Patriot Act request to the City Council.

If we don't raise our voices in opposition to the continued and gradual imposition of federal oppression in the guise of anti-terrorism, then we will deserve what we get. Where will you be when they come for you?

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on April 22, 2003 6:00 AM.

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