The Greater Bangor Area Bill of Rights Defense Committee

sick bill of rights
Upcoming Events

Wednesday, December 1: MAINE CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION PRESENTS ITS 2004 ANNUAL CELEBRATION AND ROGER BALDWIN AWARDS, 6:00pm, Doubletree Hotel, 1230 Congress Street in Portland.
This year, the MCLU will present the Roger Baldwin Award to citizen activists across the state who helped preserve civil liberties threatened by the USA PATRIOT Act, through education and resolutions in their town councils: Kris Clark, Portland; Bernie Huebner, Waterville; Maizy Myers, Searsport; Gerald Oleson, Bangor; Scott Ruffner, Bangor; Jane Sanford, Belfast; Bill Sullivan, Bangor; Bia Winter, Mt. Vernon. The 2004 Annual Meeting & Celebration and Roger Baldwin Awards are free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged. For more information or to make reservations call the Maine Civil Liberties Union at (207)774-5444 http://www.mclu.org/News/PressReleases/11_11_04.htm

Wednesday, December 15: Celebrate Bill of Rights Day, the 203rd anniversary of the Bill of Rights.
Mark Crispin Miller in the film: A Patriot Act, Bangor Public Library, Children's reading Room (downstairs), 7pm.

Brilliant. Funny. And scathing. A Patriot Act is a chilling indictment of the stealth movement to subvert the US Constitution. If you care about the Constitution, you may be shocked to learn how successfully the Bush administration has been at undermining it. And you will be even more horrified at what they have planned for America's future. Cosponsored by Maine Progressive Caucus (Penobscot County) www.mainecaucus.org and The Bangor Bill of Rights Defense Committee www.bairnet.org/organizations/billofrights/


News

CIA role inside the USA greater
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
November 7, 2004
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-11-07-cia-us_x.htm
WASHINGTON — The CIA has assigned dozens of case officers and analysts to work with FBI agents throughout the USA in the most extensive deployment of intelligence officers on domestic soil in the spy agency's history.

Officials at both agencies say the deployment, which pairs CIA officers with FBI agents in the bureau's offices to assist with terror-related investigations, also represents the CIA's broadest association with federal law enforcement since the CIA was created after World War II...

Despite assurances that the CIA is not overstepping its bounds, the close working relationship makes some civil libertarians wary.

"The location of these CIA officers definitely gives me pause," says Ann Beeson, associate legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union. "We have been very concerned about the growing surveillance power of the government through these task forces. We still know very little about these task forces. It would be very troubling if the CIA were to be involved in a broader surveillance operation."...

Local City Councils pass pro-civil liberties resolutions
Orono:
On June 14, 2004, the Orono Town Council passed a resolution opposing provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act.
On June 14th at 7:30pm, the Orono Town Council will be holding a public hearing on a resolution, which calls for the revision of the PATRIOT Act.  The success of the resolution depends largely on two things:  diverse, effective speakers building a case against the Act and a large turnout from both University and community members.

Bangor:
bangor city council meeting
Bangor Bill of Rights defenders listen and hope!!
About 35 supporters at the Bangor City Council meeting on Monday evening, all wearing "Defend the Bill of Rights!" tags, rose and applauded when the 8-1 Council vote was completed.

Maine Legislature:
Becomes Fourth State in the U.S. to Protest USA PATRIOT Act
March 23, 2004 -- The Maine Civil Liberties Union today hailed the passage of a resolution by the Maine Legislature, which supports restoring civil liberties lost under the USA PATRIOT Act and affirms support for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the post-9/11 era. After today’s Senate vote and the House vote this past Friday, Maine became the fourth state legislature in the U.S. to pass a resolution to preserve civil liberties, and the 275th community in the U.S.
The resolution tells the president and Congress that Maine "affirms its commitment that the campaign [against terrorism] not be waged at the expense of essential civil rights and liberties . . . contained in the Constitution of United States and the Bill of Rights."

Portland:
The Portland City Council passed a resolution Monday, March 15 night that denounces recent immigration sweeps, criticizes the federal Patriot Act for infringing on civil liberties and calls on Congress to amend the law that was passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Our Statement of Purpose:
To educate ourselves and others on the implication for our civil liberties of the USA Patriot Act (USAPA), the Homeland Security Act, certain executive orders, and the Domestic Security Enhancement Act (Patriot II).
To work toward getting pro-civil liberties resolutions passed by the Bangor City Council and other selectboards in the area.
To organize events to raise awareness of the issue.
Matters of conscience
One doesn't know whether to laugh or cry these days. Richard Albert of Township 15 Range 15, on his way to and from church, was fined $10,000 for crossing the Quebec-U.S. border at a closed border station. Huei-Ju Yen, a first-year student at the University of Maine  at Farmington, was deported because she made a few dollars writing articles for a local newspaper while enrolled in the university's creative writing program. Whom do these two persons appeal to for help?Olympia Snowe  and Susan Collins  are the very senators who fell all over themselves supporting the confirmation of Attorney General John Ashcroft and the unconstitutional Patriot Act. Isn't it time our Republican senators issue Declarations of Conscience in the tradition of Margaret Chase Smith who saw what people like Joe McCarthy were doing to the country?
Gerald Oleson, Bangor
Excerpt from Letters to the Editor - 02/21/04
Contents:

News items of interest:

 Friday, August 13th, 2004
A Warning From the ACLU: Emerging “Surveillance-Industrial Complex” Is Turbo-Charging Government Monitoring
A new report by the American Civil Liberties Union has found the government is rapidly increasing its ability to monitor average Americans by tapping into the growing amount of consumer data being collected by the private sector. The report is titled, “Surveillance-Industrial Complex: How The American Government is Conscripting Businesses and Individuals in the Construction of a Surveillance Society.”

RESOLVING TO RESIST:
Local governments are refusing to comply with the Patriot Act
by Elaine Scarry
http://bostonreview.net/BR29.1/scarry.html
"In the two years since its passage by Congress ... the U.S.A. Patriot Act has become the locus of resistance against the unceasing injuries of the Bush-Rumsfeld-Ashcroft triumvirate, as first one community, then two, then eleven, then 27, then 238 have passed resolutions against it, as have three state legislatures. Many more councils and legislatures have draft resolutions pending. The letters U.S.A. and the word patriot have gradually reacquired their earlier solidity and sufficiency, as local and state egovernments reanimate the practice of self-rule by opposing the Patriot Act's assault on the personal privacy, free flow of information, and freedom of association that lie at the heart of democracy. Each of the resolutions affirms the town's obligation to uphold the constitutional rights of all persons who live there, and many of them explicitly direct police and other residents to refrain from carrying out the provisions of the Patriot Act, even when approached by a federal officer and explicitly instruceted to do so."


A Heavy Burden at the Border
Residents on Maine-Quebec line frightened, frustrated after man is fined $10,000 for crossing
 By Rachel Rice, Of the Bangor Daily NEWS Staff
Last updated: Saturday, February 7, 2004

TOWNSHIP 15 RANGE 15 - Richard Albert knew customs officials were tightening security along the Maine-Quebec border, but he never thought that coming home from church would cost him $10,000.

Albert, 52, was born and raised in Township 15 Range 15. He works for Robinson Lumber Co., located in the unorganized territory.

Albert's house, where he lives alone, is just 30 yards from the border, right beside the U.S. Customs office. He has been crossing the U.S.-Canada border at his own discretion for more than 40 years, he said in an interview on Tuesday.

In mid-January, he received two $5,000 fines from the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection for crossing the Quebec border into Maine twice on a Sunday, a day when the local border station is closed.

"I was coming home from church like I do every Sunday," he said. "They [customs officials] said I was caught on tape re-entering the U.S.

Federal Judge Rules Part of Patriot Act Unconstitutional
The Associated Press
Monday, January 26, 2004; 2:49 PM
LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge has declared unconstitutional a portion of the USA Patriot Act that bars giving expert advice or assistance to groups designated foreign terrorist organizations.
The ruling marks the first court decision to declare a part of the post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism statute unconstitutional, said David Cole, a Georgetown University law professor who argued the case on behalf of the Humanitarian Law Project.


Events:
Bill of Rights Day at the Bangor Public Library, December 15, 2003
  BoR Day Bangor

Bill of Rights Defense Committee Commemorates 202nd Anniversary of the Bill of Rights
Despite the stormy weather, a dozen people gathered at the Bangor Public Library on Monday afternoon to commemorate Bill of Rights Day. The gathering was organized by the Greater Bangor Area Bill of Rights Defense Committee to bring attention to the dangers of the USA Patriot Act. After a brief introduction, a statement of support from Representative Michael Michaud was read in which he wrote: “As a government, I want us to do our duty – to BOTH protect American lives and avoid the pitfalls of overstepping constitutional boundaries.” Then a group of members performed a short skit describing how the USA Patriot Act violates the rights guaranteed by the first, fourth, fifth and sixth amendments by allowing secret surveillance of private records and detention of suspects without a charge.
The committee plans to work to pass city council resolutions to protect civil rights, since they feel is the municipality’s responsibility to ensure that its residents feel safe and protected by just laws from unfair treatment, invasion of privacy without probable cause, and detentions without charges and in secrecy.
(more photos)

What you can do:

Become familiar with the UNITING AND STRENGTHENING AMERICA BY PROVIDING APPROPRIATE TOOLS REQUIRED TO INTERCEPT AND OBSTRUCT TERRORISM (USA PATRIOT ACT) ACT OF 2001.
Read a Quick Analysis.

Read the Bill of Rights (click here)
Remember:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, 1759

Slate Magazine has produced a four-part series "A Guide to the Patriot Act: Should you be scared of the Patriot Act?"
By Dahlia Lithwick and Julia Turner, September 2003
For information on other efforts around the US: http://www.bordc.org

Other USA Patriot ACT links of interest:

Bill of Rights

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

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