Re: Russia "no longer free"
- From: holman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Eugene Holman)
- Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 09:33:02 +0200
In article <1135754009.130818.64000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
lorad474@xxxxxx wrote:
> Eugene Holman wrote gibberish in spite of:
>
> "Andrei Illarionov, President Vladimir Putin's chief economic adviser
> but also an acerbic critic of the Kremlin's grab for economic power,
> offered his resignation on Tuesday, saying Russia was "no longer
> free". "
Mr. Illarionov's comment implies that Russia was once free, a view that
few of us in SCB would share. Russia is busy trying to construct
democracy, but it is also trying to ensure itself a role in the new
geopolitical structures that are emerging. There are some conmtradictions
between the two developments, and, once again, nobody here would disagree
that Russia has done some backtracking. On the other hand, we are euqally
aware that Russia has learned that financial clout and a stong and open
economy are far more important in today's geopolitics than a strong
military.
Russia's backsliding cannot be considred fairly without giving due
consideration to its role model, the USA.
Source: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0508-10.htm
<quote>
Published on Thursday, May 8, 2003 by the Los Angeles Times
Pulling FBI's Nose Out of Your Books
by US Rep. Bernie Sanders
An unnecessary chill has descended on the nation's libraries and
bookstores: The books you buy and read are now subject to government
inspection and review.
After 9/11, the Bush administration, particularly Atty. Gen. John
Ashcroft, pushed hard for passage of the Patriot Act, which contained
sweeping changes to our nation's surveillance laws and new intelligence
powers for the FBI and other agencies. At that time of national outrage,
Congress passed with little debate a bill the attorney general had
crafted.
Few who voted for the Patriot Act -- I did not -- knew that among its
provisions was one that gave FBI agents the authority to engage in fishing
expeditions to see what Americans read. Although it does not mention
bookstores or libraries specifically, the sweeping legislation gives the
FBI the power to seize all of the circulation, purchasing and other
records of library users and bookstore customers on no stronger a claim
than an FBI official's statement that they are part of a terrorism
investigation. Surely the powers the government needs to fight terrorism
can be subject to more meaningful checks and balances than that,
especially when the right to read without government intrusion is at
stake.
Until the Patriot Act, the FBI had the authority to obtain bank records,
credit records and certain other commercial records only upon some showing
that the records requested related to a suspected member of a terrorist
group. The Patriot Act expanded the FBI's authority in two ways. First, it
gave the FBI the authority to seize any records of any entity. Most
members of Congress probably didn't realize it, but this included
libraries and bookstores. Second, Congress dropped the prior requirement
that the FBI actually have some evidence that the person whose records it
sought was a member of a terrorist group or otherwise involved in
terrorism.
Now, one Patriot Act provision allows the FBI to obtain whole databases,
including records of citizens not suspected of any wrongdoing. The FBI has
a history of abusing its power: monitoring, keeping records on and
infiltrating civil rights organizations, Vietnam War protest groups and
others that had broken no laws but were considered controversial. Little
has changed to prevent the FBI from abusing its powers again if it is left
unchecked. The new powers appear to have been used already -- a University
of Illinois survey shows libraries were targeted at least 175 times in the
year after 9/11 -- yet the FBI refuses to explain how or why.
Such is the state of affairs that librarians in California and across the
country are putting up signs warning patrons that the FBI may be snooping
among their records. These librarians, along with booksellers, are
particularly concerned because the proceeding for these warrants takes
place in a closed court and the new law has a built-in gag order: Those
who are asked to turn over records are not allowed to say that the search
has occurred or that records were given to the government. In addition,
under this provision the courts are no longer an arbiter of individual
rights because judges are not allowed to determine whether there is
probable cause to justify such sweeping searches.
We need law enforcement to track terrorists down before they do their evil
deeds. But if we give up some of our most cherished freedoms -- the right
to read what we want without surveillance; the need for "probable cause"
before searches are made -- the terrorists win, for their attacks will
have struck at the very heart of our constitutional rights.
To remedy the excesses of the Patriot Act that threaten our right to read,
I have introduced the Freedom to Read Protection Act. The bill, which has
the support of Democrats and Republicans, progressives and conservatives,
will establish once again that libraries and bookstores are no place for
fishing expeditions. Because this new legislation will allow the FBI to
use the constitutional routes at its disposal, including criminal
subpoenas, to get library and bookstore records, it will not tie the hands
of investigators. At the same time it will require -- as had always been
the case -- that investigations be focused and that the reasons behind
them be subject to judicial scrutiny.
Before Congress begins any discussion of new powers for the FBI, as some
in Washington are advocating, we must first focus on correcting the
unchecked authority the Patriot Act already grants the government.
</quote>
\EH
.
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