Most USM students won’t be affected by President Bush’s new anti-terrorism bill.
Or at least they won’t know it when they are.
“Much of what the U.S. government is doing in terms of intelligence gathering will be invisible,” said William Coogan, associate professor of political science.
Bush signed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act on Oct. 26 after it was pushed through Congress in under a month, passing by a 357 to 66 vote in the House and a 98 to 1 vote in the Senate.
Maine’s four legislators voted in support of the measure.
Coogan said the government was anxious to increase national security following the Sept. 11 attacks and acted very quickly to pass the bill.
“Before Sept. 11 Congress would not have been considering these changes,” said Davis Lackey, communications director for U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe. “But the world changed.”
The USA PATRIOT Act gives the federal government authority to read e-mails and use wiretapping devices to investigate suspected terrorists or those suspected of having associations with them. Authorities can also hold suspected terrorists for up to seven days without a hearing.
Despite overwhelming support in Congress, the bill has drawn criticism from some who say it goes too far in restricting an individual’s right to privacy and due process.
“I’m very concerned about the computer monitoring and the detention without a charge provisions,” said Coogan. “It’s a suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.”
He added that while most of the government’s efforts will be focussed on those of Middle-Eastern descent, some students could be affected.
Coogan said there are common circumstances in which students would have e-mails tracked by intelligence officials.
“It seems to me it would be appropriate to go on the Internet to see what bin Laden has to say . It makes sense to know the enemy,” said Coogan.
But if students share e-mails about what they learn or their feelings about such subjects, Coogan said it would set off certain triggers, alerting U.S. intelligence.
Proponents of the bill say that losing some privacy and civil liberties is a necessary tradeoff because current security threats demand serious action.
“Protecting our civil liberties is important, but so is protecting our nation,” said Lackey. “That’s Senator Snowe’s number one priority.”
The USA PATRIOT Act also restricts the ability of some legal aliens to enter the country.
Lackey pointed out that most of the hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks appeared to enter the country legally.
“We need to prevent dangerous aliens from entering the country instead of tracking them once they’re here,” said Lackey.
Though University officials don’t think the bill will have a dramatic impact on the 90 students at USM currently on student visas, they say there could be a negative impact in the future.
“I think the impact will be on prospective students applying for visas,” said Domenica Cipollone, director of International Exchange at USM. “We’re already seeing a slowdown in that area.”
Lackey said that Sen. Snowe feels the bill balances the need for tightened national security with the need to protect individual rights.
The Maine Civil Liberties Union said it’s possible to protect both at the same time.
“We can be safe and free and that’s something we need to look forward to,” said MCLU Executive Director Sally Sutton, who said she has serious concerns about the new bill.
“We’ve given our law enforcement the ability to spy on innocent citizens without proof,” she said. “It’s not a big deal. It’s the biggest deal.”
Sutton said the bill passed too quickly for the general public to know what was happening.
“The fact it’s been done so quickly is scary. There weren’t the traditional type of hearings or debate,” said Sutton. “This complex piece of legislation passed without what we consider the appropriate level of oversight.”
The final bill that President Bush signed, however, had been amended from its original form.
“Those concerned with civil liberties were able to remove some of the more outrageous provisions,” said Coogan.
The bill originally allowed authorities to detain suspected terrorists indefinitely. The final bill sets a limit of seven days for detention and limits increased monitoring of suspected terrorist to four years.
Lackey said he’s aware the bill gives the attorney general and the executive branch much more power than in the past. He said Sen. Snowe knows that Congress will need to play an important role in keeping the federal government in check.
Executive Editor Steve Peoples can be contacted at: [email protected]