1. General Links
2. USA PATRIOT Act
3. Homeland Security Act
4. Federal Executive Orders
5. Operation TIPS
6. Total Information Awareness
7. Domestic Security Ehancement Act (Patriot Act II)
8. Enemy Combatants
9. Assassination of U.S. Citizens

• SMBORDC's News Archives
• SMBORDC's Patriot Act FAQ
• National BORDC
• National Coalition to Repeal the Patriot Act
• ACLU Safe and Free Campaign
• ACLU of Northern California
• California Library Association
• Rep. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) Civil Liberties Page
• Paul Revere Project
• California Libarary Association Resolution
• Statement of Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director, ACLU, on Launch of Safe and Free Campaign
• Testimony of Attorney General John Ashcroft, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, December 6, 2001
• The Village Voice: The Attack on Civil Liberties
• ABC News: "Right Joins Left to Criticize Patriot Act"
• FOX News: "Barr to Join ACLU"
• "Assaults on Liberty," by Robert A. Levy
• "Trading Freedom for Security"
• "Cities Urge Restraint in Fight Against Terror," by Michael Janofsky
• San Mateo County Times: "Students will ask county to oppose Patriot Act"
• "Freedoms crumble, press sleeps"
• The Magna Carta
• The English Bill of Rights
• The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America
• The Articles of Confederation
• The Constitution of the United States of America
• The Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America
• The Constitution of the State of California
• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• The Federalist Papers
• The Anti-Federalist Papers
• Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government
• James Madison's Notes on the Constitutional Convention of 1787
• Everything you ever wanted to know about COINTELPRO
• "Keep Big Brother's Hands Off the Internet," written in 1997 by then Senator John Ashcroft
• Timeline: Civil Liberties in the Post 9/11 World
• The USA PATRIOT Act (pdf)
• The Homeland Security Act (pdf)
• Executive Orders Issued by President Bush
• ACLU Analysis
• ACLU Report: "Dissent in Post-9/11 America" (pdf)
• CCR Analysis
• CRS Analysis (pdf)
• EFF Analysis
• EPIC Analysis
• LCHR Analysis
• NLADA Analysis (pdf)
• PFAW Analysis
• AP's Overview of Changes to Legal Rights
• BORDC's Guide to the USA PATRIOT Act and Federal Executive Orders (pdf)
• BORDC's Guide to the Homeland Security Act (pdf)

USA PATRIOT Act

• The USA PATRIOT Act (pdf)
• Jennifer Van Bergen's Series on the USA PATRIOT Act at truthout.com
• Insight Magazine: "The House Approved Anti-Terror Bill WITHOUT EVEN READING IT!"
• "The USA un-Patriotic Act," by Nat Hentoff
• Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), on Opposing the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act
• New York Times: "Republicans Want Terror law Made Permanent"
• Salt Lake Tribune: "Hatch Leading Charge to '1984,' Critics Warn"
• "Vanishing Liberties," by Nat Hentoff

Homeland Security Act

• The Homeland Security Act (pdf)
• Jennifer Van Bergen's Series on the Homeland Security Act at truthout.com
• Washington Times: "Security bill bars blowing whistle"
• Christian Science Monitor: "Security act to pervade lives"
• Common Dreams: "Getting the Most out of Homeland Security"
• Kansas City Star: "Federal workers fear Homeland Security Act is being used to bust unions"
• "Homeland Security is the Largest Federal Expansion in 50 Years," by Rep Ron Paul (R-TX)

Federal Executive Orders

• Attorney General John Ashcroft's order limiting attorney-client privilege (pdf)
• President Bush's order authorizing military tribunals
• American Bar Association Stance of Military Tribunals
• Testimony of Timothy Lynch of the Cato Institute, on the subject of Executive Branch Arrests and Trials (Military Tribunals), Senate Judiciary Committee, December 4, 2001
• Letter from Human Rights Watch to Pres. Bush on military tribunals
• "Seizing Dictatorial Power," by William Safire
• "Secrecy is a losing ploy," by Phyllis Schlafly
• Washington Post: "Much Rides on Terror Case"

Operation TIPS

• Washington Post: "What is Operation TIPS?"
• "1984 in 2002?" by Former Congressman Bob Barr
• Salon.com: "New life for Operation TIPS"

Total Information Awareness

• Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. of the Cato Institute, on Total Information Awareness
• ACLU Total Information Awareness FAQ
• "You Are a Suspect," by William Safire
• The Inquirer: "Privacy wins against Total Information Awareness"
• The Scoop (New Zealand): "Bush Announces Total Information Awareness Take 2"
• NY Times: "New Name of Pentagon Data Sweep Focuses on Terror"
• "Pentagon Tries To Reassure Congress On Surveillance Program"
• Washington Post: "Pentagon Details New Surveillance System"
• DARPA's report to Congress on TIA

Domestic Security Ehancement Act (Patriot Act II)

For the past 18 months, the Justice Department has been secretly working on a new bill to expand its powers under the USA PATRIOT Act.  Why secretly?  Some believe the DoJ was waiting to release it during a possible war with Iraq, or after another terrorist attack.

Their plans were spoiled, however, when someone within the DoJ leaked a draft version of the bill, entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement  Act of 2003, to the non-partisan Center for Public Integrity.  The Center soon uncovered evidence that copies of the bill were sent to House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Vice President Dick Cheney, but not to any other members of Congress.

Among other things, the new act would greatly expand law enforcement and intelligence gathering powers, reduce or eliminate judicial oversight over surveillance, permit secret arrests, create a DNA database of suspected "terrorists," create new death penalties, and even allow the attorney general to strip citizenship from people who belong to or support "terrorist organizations."

This new bill hasn't been passed yet, and certainly won't be passed in Congress without a debate.  But the emergence of Patriot Act II does make our mission all the more urgent.  Find out how you can get involved.

• NOW with Bill Moyers: Transcript - Bill Moyers interviews Chuck Lewis about Patriot Act II
• Read the Center for Public Intergrity's Report
• Download the proposed bill (pdf)
• Take a look at the control sheet (pdf) proving  copies of the bill were sent to House Speaker Dennis Haster and Vice President Dick Cheney
• Read the Justice Department's Response (pdf)
• Washington Post: "U.S. May Seek Wider Anti-Terror Powers"
• San Francisco  Chronicle: "Patriot Act, the sequel"
• CBS NEWS: "New Anti-Terror Bill: Critics Cry Foul"
• UPI: "ACLU: Proposed law to infringe on rights"
• "Ashcroft Out of Control," by Nat Hentoff
• "Red Alert for the Bill of Rights!" by Nat Hentoff
• Libertarian Party: "A Patriot attack, aimed at America"
• "Activists Gather in Nashville to Protest Patriot Act II"

Enemy Combatants

The executive branch now has the power to designate U.S. citizens supected of being terrorists as "enemy combatants," stripping them of many of their constitutional rights and privileges.  Two Americans, Jose Padilla and Yaser Esam Hamdi, have already been designated "enemy combatants" and are being detained indefinitely at the U.S. Naval Brig in Norfolk, Virginia.  Recently, the courts ruled that "enemy combatatants" do have ther right to counsel, although the DoJ had insisted that they do not.

• Washington Post: Enemy Combatants
• TIME: "The Case of the Dirty Bomber"
• Read the court opinion in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld
• Read the brief filed by Hamdi's attorneys
• "Liberty's Court of Last Resort," by Nat Hentoff
• "US plans death camp"

Assassination of U.S. Citizens

A federal executive order gives the CIA the authority to assasinate U.S. citizens believed to be terrorists.  These citizens do not even have to be designated as enemey combatants to be killed.  They are never arrested, never charged with any crime, never tried by an impartial jury of their peers.   Using a predator missile the CIA has already assassinated one U.S. citizen, Kamal Derwish, in Yemen.

• CBS NEWS: "CIA's  License to Kill"
• Washinton Post: "CIA Killed U.S. Citizen In Yemen Missile Strike"
• "A U.S. License to Kill," by Nat Hentoff
• "Our Designated Killers," by Nat Hentoff