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Olver pushes change to Patriot Act
By Ian Bishop Transcript
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Has Big Brother been watching you?
If you've checked out books or surfed the Web at the local library or bookstore on subjects such as Islamic fundamentalism, nuclear reactors or bomb building, the FBI may know about it.
It's a disconcerting possibility that is making some strange bedfellows on Capitol Hill. Both progressive liberals and conservatives who believe in a minimalist federal government are moving to repeal a section of the USA Patriot Act passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that allows federal agents to pull readers' records for little more than curiosity.
Since the attacks, more than 175 libraries nationwide have been visited by the attacks, according to a study by the University of Illinois. However, any information gleaned has been deemed confidential by the Department of Justice.
"The USA Patriot Act, in several key areas, gives law enforcement too much power at the expense of our civil liberties," Said Rep. John W. Olver, whose district stretches from the Berkshires to the western edge of Middlesex County.
Olver is backing the Freedom to Read Protection Act, a bill by Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., to end the chance federal agents may be checking your reading list.
"This is a very dangerous situation," Sanders said.
Booksellers, librarians and Democrats and Republicans are supporting the effort.
"The focus of the war on terror should be on terrorists, not American citizens," said Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican backing the bill.
Olver and Sanders say the provision in the Patriot Act, granting domestic spying capabilities without the need for search warrants or judicial oversight, is a violation of the U.S. Constitution. There is a legal challenge to the provision, but Sanders said the more direct route is to repeal it legislatively
Attorney General John Ashcroft has defended the Justice Department's tactics and strategy in the ongoing war on terror, either within our borders or beyond. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, he said the new techniques are rooted in the Constitution.
"Our priority is preventing future terrorism, not making arrests," Ashcroft said.
But not at the expense of a citizen's civil liberties, Olver contends.
"This bill would return some of the safeguards that were in place before passage of the Patriot Act by exempting libraries and booksellers from provisions that allow the federal government access to records without a traditional search warrant," Olver said.
Trina Magi, a reference librarian at the University of Vermont, said the prospect of governmental spying is enough to push many library-goers into self-censoring.
"The moment you have to think about making decisions (about what to read), you are no longer truly free," she said.
To maintain strong educational and economic vitality, Americans should be able and encouraged to explore new information, she said.
The New England Booksellers Association has come down against the provision in the USA Patriot Act. Nearly a dozen communities in southern Vermont have passed resolutions in response to the Act.
By Ian Bishop Transcript
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Has Big Brother been watching you?
If you've checked out books or surfed the Web at the local library or bookstore on subjects such as Islamic fundamentalism, nuclear reactors or bomb building, the FBI may know about it.
It's a disconcerting possibility that is making some strange bedfellows on Capitol Hill. Both progressive liberals and conservatives who believe in a minimalist federal government are moving to repeal a section of the USA Patriot Act passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that allows federal agents to pull readers' records for little more than curiosity.
Since the attacks, more than 175 libraries nationwide have been visited by the attacks, according to a study by the University of Illinois. However, any information gleaned has been deemed confidential by the Department of Justice.
"The USA Patriot Act, in several key areas, gives law enforcement too much power at the expense of our civil liberties," Said Rep. John W. Olver, whose district stretches from the Berkshires to the western edge of Middlesex County.
Olver is backing the Freedom to Read Protection Act, a bill by Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., to end the chance federal agents may be checking your reading list.
"This is a very dangerous situation," Sanders said.
Booksellers, librarians and Democrats and Republicans are supporting the effort.
"The focus of the war on terror should be on terrorists, not American citizens," said Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican backing the bill.
Olver and Sanders say the provision in the Patriot Act, granting domestic spying capabilities without the need for search warrants or judicial oversight, is a violation of the U.S. Constitution. There is a legal challenge to the provision, but Sanders said the more direct route is to repeal it legislatively
Attorney General John Ashcroft has defended the Justice Department's tactics and strategy in the ongoing war on terror, either within our borders or beyond. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, he said the new techniques are rooted in the Constitution.
"Our priority is preventing future terrorism, not making arrests," Ashcroft said.
But not at the expense of a citizen's civil liberties, Olver contends.
"This bill would return some of the safeguards that were in place before passage of the Patriot Act by exempting libraries and booksellers from provisions that allow the federal government access to records without a traditional search warrant," Olver said.
Trina Magi, a reference librarian at the University of Vermont, said the prospect of governmental spying is enough to push many library-goers into self-censoring.
"The moment you have to think about making decisions (about what to read), you are no longer truly free," she said.
To maintain strong educational and economic vitality, Americans should be able and encouraged to explore new information, she said.
The New England Booksellers Association has come down against the provision in the USA Patriot Act. Nearly a dozen communities in southern Vermont have passed resolutions in response to the Act.
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