 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 | |
.gif){kind=small} |
| ||
    |
  |
 |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||
 |
||||
 | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
| |||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| The committee’s Republican
staff ordered cameras out of the hearing room when representatives of
civil liberties and free-speech groups were called to testify.
|
ASHCROFT ISSUED his warning in testifying before the House Judiciary
Committee in favor of far-reaching measures to ramp up the war on
terrorism, telling lawmakers, “Every day that passes with outdated
statutes and the old rules of engagement is a day that terrorists have a
competitive advantage.” Ashcroft urged quick passage of new police powers sought by the Bush administration, including the authority to detain aliens suspected of ties to terrorists indefinitely and without the right to appeal. The administration also wants wiretap evidence obtained in other countries in violation of the Fourth Amendment to be admissible in court. In addition, the administration is asking for secret court authorization for wiretaps, longer jail terms for terrorists, access to users’ Internet information without a court order and authority to review telephone voice-mail messages with only a search warrant. Some of the measures raised red flags for Democrats and advocates of civil liberties. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the committee’s ranking Democrat, said he and others were “deeply troubled” by the constitutional implications. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
“Past experience has taught us that today’s weapon against terrorism
may be tomorrow’s law against law-abiding Americans,” Conyers
said. Ashcroft said he was sure the bill would pass constitutional muster. “We are conducting this effort with a total commitment to protect the rights and privacy of all Americans and the constitutional protections we hold dear,” he said. .gif){kind=small}  WashPost: FBI ill-equipped to
stop terrorCOVERAGE OF HEARING RESTRICTED After Ashcroft finished speaking, committee Democrats called civil liberties and free-speech advocates to testify, including representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way, which have echoed some of Conyers’ concerns. But while Ashcroft’s testimony was open to television cameras, the committee’s Republican staff ordered camera crews to leave, including those of C-SPAN, the public interest network available on cable television systems nationwide, NBC News’ Mike Viqueira reported. Print reporters and members of the general public were allowed to remain, meaning the speakers’ comments could be reported, but none of them would be available for Americans to see or hear for themselves. House rules state, “Whenever a hearing or meeting conducted by a committee or subcommittee is open to the public, those proceedings shall be open to coverage by audio and visual means,” Viqueira reported. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CONGRESS SLOWS DEBATE Both Democrats and Republicans said the issues were too important to rush the legislation. The Judiciary Committee had planned to vote on the legislation Tuesday, but Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said it would take up the bill late next week to give it time to work out concerns like those Conyers raised. Ashcroft urged speed, however. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic security is among the top issues that have leaped to the head of a slimmed-down congressional agenda in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. “At the moment, nothing is going to get done except to try to deal with the terrorist threat and try to be supportive of the administration that’s planning this big action,” Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., told reporters. Senate Minority Whip Don Nickles, R-Okla., said other issues, among them Medicare and Social Security reform and President Bush’s plan to channel more funds to religious charities, would have to wait. “Those other things can be addressed in the future when we’re not fighting both a recession and war on terrorism,” Nickles said. AIRPORTS, PLANES FOCUS OF SCRUTINY |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Security in airports and airplanes has emerged as the No. 1 concern,
at least in the short term. In what is sure to be a controversial request,
the nation’s pilots union will ask Congress to pass legislation to allow
pilots to be armed in the cockpit, NBC News reported Monday. House leaders signaled over the weekend, meanwhile, that they would enthusiastically go along with a proposal by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., to have the government take over screening of passengers and luggage at the nation’s airports. Monday, the FAA said it was considering ordering airports and airlines to redo criminal checks and scrutinize employment histories for baggage handlers, food service workers and other employees who have access to airliners, ramps, tarmacs and other secure areas. The FAA has already begun training a corps of armed sky marshals to fly on randomly chosen domestic flights, and it has ordered stronger cockpit doors to keep hijackers from bursting in. CLOSER COORDINATION The security push comes as Americans learn about what is being described as the nation’s seriously inadequate lack of planning for preventing or dealing with terrorist attacks. About a third of 456 communities that responded to a fax last week from the National League of Cities said they had no plans in place, while about 1 in 8 was still developing a plan. Just more than half said their terrorism response blueprints were in place. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Larger cities appeared to be more prepared, with more than 8 in 10
towns of more than 100,000 people saying they had outlined how they would
handle a terrorist threat. Only 6 in 10 medium-sized cities and 4 in 10
small towns said they had such plans. Some cities said they also were monitoring their water supplies more closely and considering training in responses to biological and chemical warfare. Forty-eight agencies are now responsible for responding to terror attacks in the United States, complicating efforts for a national response. Seeking a more coordinated effort, Bush last week appointed Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to a new Cabinet-level post of homeland security czar, which White House spokesman Ari Fleischer characterized as a role similar to that of national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. MSNBC.com’s Alex Johnson, NBC’s Robert Hager and Mike Viqueira and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
.gif)
Ashcroft seeks
sweeping powers
| |
|||
.gif){kind=spacer} |
|
 | |||||||||||||||
  | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||
