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http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--patriotact-nj0520may20,0,7396517.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey
15 NJ towns, 2 counties oppose Patriot Act provisions
By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press Writer
May 20, 2005, 4:04 PM EDT
NEWARK, N.J. -- As Congress considers whether to expand government
powers to fight terrorism, 15 New Jersey municipalities and two counties
are opposing portions of the USA Patriot Act, and state lawmakers are
considering similar action.
New Brunswick on Wednesday joined the list of communities lined up
against parts of the act, which expires at the end of the year and is up
for renewal.
Officials in New Brunswick passed a resolution opposing portions of the
law, enacted shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, "that may
infringe on important civil liberties ... including presumption of
innocence, due process, legal counsel and probable cause (and)
protection from unreasonable searches and seizures."
Critics of the act have assailed its so-called libraries provision,
which allows authorities to examine "tangible items" such as business
records, credit card receipts and library records as part of foreign
intelligence or international terrorism investigations. Another
provision drawing fire makes it easier to obtain secret search warrants,
once exclusively for use in foreign intelligence cases, in criminal
cases.
"I commend the City Council of New Brunswick for taking a stand to
ensure that we remain both safe and free," said Deborah Jacobs,
executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.
Nationwide, seven states and 378 local or county governments have passed
resolutions opposing parts of the act, saying they unacceptably
compromise civil liberties.
In New Jersey, Englewood, Ewing, Franklin Township in Somerset County,
Highland Park, Keansburg, Lawrence Township, Montclair, Mullica, New
Brunswick, Paterson, Phillipsburg, Plainfield, Princeton Borough, West
Windsor and Willingboro have passed such resolutions, as have the
governments of Mercer and Passaic counties.
A bill pending in the state Assembly calls on Congress to "change the
USA Patriot Act to ensure that constitutional civil rights and liberties
are not unduly infringed upon." The bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman
Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer, has not yet been scheduled for a vote.
Aref Assaf, president of the Arab American Forum of New Jersey, urged
passage of the state measure. He said the bill "sends a clear message to
our federal officials to revisit the egregious aspect of the act and
ensure that the civil liberties of Americans are protected. The delicate
balance between liberty and security is a fundamental duty of elected
officials."
But Assembleymen Guy Gregg and Joseph Pennacchio, Republicans from
Morris County, said the proposed resolution is so vague it is worthless
because it does not specify which portions of the Patriot Act should be
repealed.
"New Jersey is in the epicenter of potential targets for terrorist
activities," they wrote in a statement that highlighted links between
New Jersey and the Sept. 11 attackers, as well elevated threat levels
last summer at Prudential Financial in Newark.
"Clearly, New Jersey's residents need the protections provided by the
Patriot Act," the statement read.
The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee meanwhile is working
on a bill that would renew the act and expand government powers, letting
the FBI subpoena records without permission from a judge or grand jury.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc. |
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