As Congress begins to consider renewing sections of the USA PATRIOT Act set to expire at the end of the year, we have a unique opportunity to press for new civil liberties protections to shield ordinary Americans against government spying, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Last week, 10 US Senators introduced the perfect vehicle for reform of the surveillance powers in the PATRIOT Act, as well as the much broader and more dangerous FISA Amendments Act (FAA), the warrantless surveillance law that was passed by Congress last summer.

The new bill, called the JUSTICE Act, would add essential new checks and balances to a broad range of surveillance powers. In particular, it would reform the notorious National Security Letter power that allows the FBI, without court supervision, to secretly demand that companies hand over your private phone and Internet records.

Even more important, the JUSTICE Act would add strong new privacy protections to the FAA, which vastly expanded the government’s authority to sweep up Americans’ phone calls and emails without probable cause or meaningful court review.

The JUSTICE Act would also repeal the immunity for telecommunications companies that illegally assisted in the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program. This would restore the rule of law and allow EFF’s suit against ATnT to continue so that the courts can do their job and rule on the legality of the surveillance.

“This is our first real shot at meaningful surveillance reform in a long time, but things are moving very quickly,” according to the release. “The Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to consider PATRIOT renewal this week. It’s crucial that the bill that the committee sends to the Senate floor contains as many of the JUSTICE Act’s reforms as possible. It’s time to fix PATRIOT once and for all, and now is our chance.”

The non-profit organization urges people to contact their senators today and ask them to co-sponsor and support the JUSTICE Act.

Glynn Wilson

Judge U.W. Clemon criticized The Birmingham News and the Bush Justice Department at The National Press Club

by Glynn Wilson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — One of the most significant problems corrupting American society and politics over the past eight years is finally getting the public spotlight it deserves in the nation’s capital. You can’t run a successful democracy without an honest system of justice that is removed as far as possible from politics, according to a panel of experts who spoke at one of the most venerated institutions in the United States, the National Press Club.

Some of the people who came from as far away as Alaska, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia were a bit disappointed when it was announced that former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers were not able to make it.

But Elliot Mintzberg, chief counsel for oversight investigations of the House Judiciary Committee, who came in Conyers’ place, insisted that all the investigations are continuing full bore into the politicization of the justice system by the Bush White House and Department of Justice — in spite of a certain camp in Washington who would rather “look forward, not back.”

Glynn Wilson

House Judiciary Committee investigator Elliot Mintzberg

He said the investigation into the firings of U.S. attorneys and the improper interference of Bush’s White House staff, including political aide Karl Rove, “is not yet done.”

In response to my direct questions about when Karl Rove will be called to testify and the controversy over whether his testimony will be fully on the record and subject to contempt laws, Mintzberg said a date has been set, but he could not reveal it. He insisted the committee will fully probe Rove on the record in a transcribed deposition that will make him subject to perjury if he lies to Congress. He insisted the deposition will be released to the public when the time comes just like the testimony of other witnesses, including Alabama attorney Jill Simpson’s, who made the trip to Washington for the forum. And he said that might very well lead to public hearings.

Mintzberg said investigations are continuing on several fronts.

Read the rest of this entry »