Speech #1090097564

Governments website. Even worse than the PATRIOT Act has been the unilateral abuse of power by the administration. Since September 11. our government has detained and verbally and physically abused thousands of immigrants without time limit. for unknown and unspecified reasons. and targeted tens of thousands of ArabAmericans for intensive interrogations and immigration screenings. All this serves to accomplish is to alienate Muslim and ArabAmericansthe key groups to fighting terrorism in our own countywho see a Justice Department that has institutionalized racial and ethnic profiling. without the benefit of a single terrorism conviclion. Nor is it helpful when our government condones the torture of prisoners at home and abroad. authorizes the monitoring of mosques and religious sites without any indication of criminal activity. and detains scores of individuals as material witnesses because it does not have evidence to indict them.