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Broad Coalition Urges Respect for Civil Liberties Despite War Footing
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (News Agencies) - A broad coalition of free speech and other civic groups on Thursday called on U.S. leaders to refrain from measures eroding civil liberties in gearing up for the war on terrorism.
A statement endorsed by more than 150 organizations said Americans should "consider proposals calmly and deliberately with a determination not to erode the liberties and freedoms that are at the core of the American way of life."
The hastily organized In Defense of Freedom Coalition inaugurated Thursday, underscored concerns that the administration of George W. Bush may be seeking overly broad authority to conduct surveillance on Americans in response to the September 11th attacks, the worst terrorist strikes ever on U.S. soil.
"We should resist the temptation to enact proposals in the mistaken belief that anything that may be called anti-terrorist will necessarily provide greater security," said the statement.
"The attack not only targeted our personal lives and property, it was also an attack on the freedom and equality that are the hallmarks of our democracy," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
"Terror, by its very nature, is intended not only to destroy, but also to intimidate a people, forcing them to take actions that are not in their best interest. We must not be intimidated. We must not let terrorism win."
The coalition included a variety of church, civic and free speech organizations including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Center for Democracy and Technology, Gun Owners of America, Human Rights Watch, the National Consumers League, and the United Church of Christ.
The coalition is particularly concerned about the administration's proposed anti-terrorism law, which would expand the government's ability to gather intelligence in the United States.
"The threat that seemed fairly remote to most Americans seven days ago is now felt in every heart and every home in the United States," Attorney General John Ashcroft said in announcing the proposals this week.
"If we are to dispel this threat, we must meet it with ingenuity and determination."
Ashcroft has urged swift congressional approval of a tougher wiretap law and proposals allowing use of money-laundering statutes to prosecute people who provide resources to terrorists.
The proposal would allow the FBI to request wiretapping orders for a suspect, rather than a telephone, and allow agents to tap any phone a suspect uses - including mobile, cellular and disposable phones - without having to go back to court for a judge's approval to keep tapping when a suspect moves from one jurisdiction to another.
The measure also would make it easier to detain illegal immigrants for questioning.
"While it is obviously of vital national importance to respond effectively to terrorism, this bill recalls the McCarthy era in the power it would give the government to scrutinize the private lives of American citizens." said Shari Steele, executive director of the San Francisco-based Electronic Freedom Foundation.
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