Grayson Barber, a member of the ACLU Board of Directors, argued at the University Wednesday that the USA Patriot Act — enacted by Congress after Sept. 11 to strengthen the country's defense against terrorism — wrongfully strips American citizens of their civil liberties.
The act garnered strong support in Congress as the Senate approved it 98-1 and the House of Representatives 357-66.
Barber said some of the changes permit authorities to wiretap homes of "suspicious" persons, enter private residences without valid probable cause and place any person exhibiting suspicious characteristics under surveillance.
Such measures are too drastic and constrictive, she said.
"In this country we want to be safe and we are grateful to the law enforcement community for keeping us safe, but we also want to be free," Barber said.
She added that the act is mainly used to deport immigrants who are deemed suspicious by FBI personnel.
Barber said immigrants she has spoken with are frightened to use public libraries and the Internet because they think a "Big Brother"-style government is watching them.
Several students attending the lecture asserted that to maintain order and provide safety for defenseless Americans, certain concessions of civil liberties must be made.
Barber answered that in the deportation of more than 1,000 immigrants, no one was proven to be guilty of terrorist involvement. The use of the Patriot Act to discriminate against persons based on ethnicity and race is not valid, Barber said.
"To use religion and ethnicity as a proxy for suspicion doesn't work very well," Barber said. She explained her reasoning by saying, "All KKK members are White Protestants, but all White Protestants are not KKK members."
Barber urged students to fight the Act. She suggested writing letters to senators and congressmen as an influential means of creating change, and encouraged students to join the ACLU.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.