Ann Beeson
Ann Beeson
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In the name of national security, the Bush administration has eroded the rule of law and the system of checks and balances in the United States, both fundamental principles in any democracy. In our America, we will not tolerate illegal spying or torture. The ACLU calls on the Human Rights committee to join us in our effort to hold the U.S. government accountable.
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It is crucial that we recognize the important separation of powers principles that our democracy was founded on, ... There should always be a check on the executive branch's power, the president's power, to take away that most fundamental of liberty interests and that is the government's ability to detain a person, possibly indefinitely.
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Requiring a judge to approve a wiretap is not a nicety that can be avoided by presidential decree -- it is a fundamental rule of American democracy. The government ignored the system authorized by Congress in favor of limitless power to spy on Americans.
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Our first amendment rights are irreparably harmed, every day the gag continues,
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This type of investigation is really a form of intimidation and a message to activists that they will pay a price for speaking out, ... The posting of publicly available information about people who are in the news should not trigger an investigation.
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There are considerable First Amendment issues involved in such a move.