Center for Media and Democracy Alec Model Legislation Resolution in Support of the Usa Patriot Act
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See Center for Media and Democracy's quick summary on last page Exposed D I D YOU KNOW? Corporations VOTED to adopt this. Through ALEC, global companies ALEC EXPOSED Search ABOUT GO MEMBERS EVENTS & MEETINGS “ALEC” NEWShas long been a secretive collaboration between BigLegislation Business and Model “conservative” politicians. Civil Justice Behind closed doors, they ghostwrite “model” bills to Commerce, Insurance, and Economic be introduced in state Development capitols across the country. This agenda--underwritten Education by global corporations-Energy, includes majorEnvironment, tax and Agriculture loopholes for big industries and the super rich, Federal Relations proposals to offshore U.S. Health Human jobs and gut and minimum wage,Services and efforts to weaken public health, International Relations safety, and environmental Public Although Safety andmany protections. Elections of these bills have become law, until now, their origin Tax and Fiscal Policy has been largely unknown. With ALEC EXPOSED, the Telecommunications Centerand forInformation Media and Technology Democracy hopes more Americans will study the Print this Page bills to understand the depth and Text-Only breadth Page of how big corporations are Email this Page changing the legal rules and undermining democracy across the nation. By the Center for Media and Democracy www.prwatch.org Home LOGIN | LOGOUT | HOME | JOIN ALEC | CONTACT work as “equals” in “unison” with politicians to write laws to govern your life. Big MODEL LEGISLATION ALEC INITIATIVES PUBLICATIONS Business has “a VOICE TASK and aFORCES VOTE,” according to newly exposed documents. DO YOU? Model Legislation Public Safety and Elections Resolution in Support of the USA PATRIOT Act Did you know the NRA--the National Rifle Association-was the corporate co-chair in 2011? WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, acts of treacherous violence were committed against the United States and its citizens by foreign terrorists; and WHEREAS, these cowardly acts rendered it both necessary and appropriate that the United States exercise its rights to self-defense and to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad; and WHEREAS, terrorism poses a fundamental threat to the ordered liberty that is the essence of our constitutional democracy; and WHEREAS, as a key part of our nation's response to these acts, Congress spent six weeks negotiating and debating law enforcement tools that both protect civil liberties while also helping detect, disrupt and prevent terrorism; and WHEREAS, the Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act (PL 107-56) on October 25, 2001 with wide, bipartisan margin (Senate 98-1, and House of Representatives 357-66), and President George W. Bush signed the Act into law the following day; and WHEREAS, the USA PATRIOT Act has strengthened the nation's criminal laws against terrorism; and ALEC’s’Corporate Board --in recent past or present • AT&T Services, Inc. • centerpoint360 • UPS • Bayer Corporation • GlaxoSmithKline • Energy Future Holdings • Johnson & Johnson • Coca-Cola Company • PhRMA • Kraft Foods, Inc. • Coca-Cola Co. • Pfizer Inc. • Reed Elsevier, Inc. • DIAGEO • Peabody Energy • Intuit, Inc. • Koch Industries, Inc. • ExxonMobil • Verizon • Reynolds American Inc. • Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. • Salt River Project • Altria Client Services, Inc. • American Bail Coalition • State Farm Insurance For more on these corporations, search at www.SourceWatch.org. WHEREAS, the USA PATRIOT Act has enhanced the capacity of law enforcement to gather and analyze intelligence on terrorist activity; and WHEREAS, the USA PATRIOT Act has helped law enforcement defend against the sophisticated tactics used by modern terrorists by updating the law to reflect new technologies and new threats; and WHEREAS, the USA PATRIOT Act has accomplished these goals without altering the tangible legal protections that exist to preserve the privacy of law-abiding citizens; and WHEREAS, the Congress, in performing its constitutional role of oversight, found no instance of any abuses of the USA PATRIOT Act and in fact has praised the Justice Department for its efforts to fight terrorism and defend the lives and liberties of the American people; and WHEREAS, the security provided by the USA PATRIOT Act has been a necessary and Constitutionally-appropriate means to the greater end of liberty; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that (insert state) supports the President of the United States and Congress in their work to defend the homeland against further terrorist attacks; and ! BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that (insert state) earnestly and resolutely supports the USA PATRIOT Act as necessary and vital to the preservation of American civil liberties in a way that is respectful of the legal and constitutional safeguards of those liberties; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Governor of the State of (state name). Adopted by ALEC's Criminal Justice Task Force at the Annual Meeting July 29, 2004. Approved by full ALEC Board of Directors August, 2004. About Us and ALEC EXPOSED. The About Center for Media and Democracy corporate spin and government Members Login Logout reports Eventson & Meetings Model in Legislation Task ForcesandALEC Initiatives Publications www.SourceWatch.org, Home propaganda.! We are located Madison, Wisconsin, publish www.PRWatch.org, Join ALEC Contact News and now www.ALECexposed.org. For more information contact: editor@prwatch.org or 608-260-9713. Center for Media and Democracy's quick analysis: This 2004 Resolution parrots the talking points of the Bush Administration in its effort to support the Patriot Act. The claim that Americans' privacy protections were not altered is false on its face: Sections 213 and 215 of the Patriot Act, as well as the expanded National Security Letter powers (untethered from any requirement of individualized suspicion of wrongdoing before a person's financial records and internet transactions could be obtained unilaterally by the FBI), significantly expanded the power of the federal government to pry into Americans' privacy. It expanded the power of the federal government to conduct secret searches of Americans' homes and of the FBI to obtain access to "any tangible thing" about a person without probable cause of wrongdoing. It also allowed the FBI to demand Americans' financial and bank records, internet transactions, phone records and more without judicial approval and without probable cause of wrongdoing. Note that this resolution was passed in 2004, the same year President George W. Bush was running for reelection.