Speech #1090109731

Congress adopted the U.S.A. Patriot Act (Public Law 10756) which is intended to enable the federal government to act more authoritatively in preventing future attacks. and WHEREAS. while the prevention of future terrorist attacks Is a critical national priority. it is equally important to preserve the fundamental civil liberties and personal freedoms which were enshrined in the Bill of Rights over 200 years ago. and which have been preserved through a constant vigilance and outcry against periodic threats to their existence. and WHEREAS. while sunset review dates were attached to certain provisions. the final bill remains. perhaps. the most severe legislative attack on civil liberties since the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts in the 1790s. and WHEREAS. under the auspices of both the U.S.A. Patriot Act and related executive orders. persons from the Middle East and South Asia have been unjustly targeted for interrogation and possible deportation. and WHEREAS. the ability of the Central Intelligence Agency to engage in domestic spying activities. with tragic repercussions. fortunately halted in the 1970s. but is now being revived pursuant to sections 223 and 901 of the Act. and WHEREAS. section 213 greatly lowers the threshold required for a court to issue a search warrant. and WHEREAS. section 216 nearly eliminates judicial supervision of telephone and internet surveillance. and WHEREAS. section 411 gives the U.S. Attorney General extraordinarily broad authority to designate domestic groups as "terrorist organizations." and WHEREAS. both sections 411 and 412 subject noncitizens to indefinite detention or deportation even If they have not committed a crime. and WHEREAS. several sections of the bill. including 215. 218. 358. and 508. permit law enforcement authorities to have broad access to sensitive mental health. library. business. financial. and educational records despite the existence of previously adopted state and federal laws which were intended to strengthen the protection of these types of records. and WHEREAS. there has been an especially strong outcry In Vermont against the ability of federal authorities. under section 215 of the Act. to obtain judiciallyissued warrants for library or bookstore patron records based on minimal information. and the accompanying prohibition on librarians and bookstore personnel from revealing any information regarding the request. and WHEREAS. this provision runs directly counter to the intent of the Vermont General Assembly to protect the privacy of a librai patrons records as codified in Title 3 �317(c)(19) of the Vermont Statutes Annotated. and the code of ethics of the American Library Association. and Whereas. both the Fletcher Free Library Commission and the Vermont Library Association have expressed their strongest possible concerns that the U.S.A. Patriot Act undermines constitutionallyguaranteed rights and the privacy of library patrons. and WHEREAS. Congressman Bernard Sanders has announced his intention to sponsor legislation to exempt libraries and booksellers from the disclosure requirements of the U.S.A.