By Lia Mulligan
Professors at the University discussed foreign policy issues during the second administration of President George W. Bush on Wednesday during the lecture, “War on Terror and the Rule of Law.”
Andrea Libresco, president of the Nassau chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), spoke about the Patriot Act and its affect on the civil liberties of American citizens. She outlined several sections in the Patriot Act, which violate the freedoms put forth by the Bill of Rights.
In section 213, for example, government officials are allowed to enter and extensively search any persons’ home without a warrant and seize any items present. Libresco believes that process, also known as a “sneak and peek,” violates the fourth amendment, which safeguards the American people against unreasonable search and seizure.
The implication of fear upon the American people by the government regarding all terrorist activity was also discussed by Libresco who said, “People are very willing to give up rights in times of fear.”
The Patriot Act is set to expire and Congress has the opportunity to let it becomes a permanent part of our legal system. This process, known as “sun setting,” will take place in December 2005.
The American Civil Liberties Union is currently working to persuade Congress to vote against the permanence of the Patriot Act. They are also challenging the implication of the Patriot Act and the infamous “no fly lists,” which bar certain citizens from flying in America because of a presumption of possible terrorist activity.
Eric Freedman, professor of law, focused his part of the lecture on the rule of law in correlation to political events in recent history.
“Law is a constraint of power,” he said, “And recent history [has shown] an attempt to evade that principle.”
Through the use of examples like the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, Freedman demonstrated how the rule of law has been exponentially ignored from one administration to the next and this one is no different.
As stated in the rules of war set forth by the Geneva Convention, once an enemy solider is captured, they are detained and eventually returned at the end of the war. If the rules of war are violated, however, the violator is given due process and is to be tried by a tribunal counsel.
Starting with the first Bush Administration and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, these rules have been more frequently pushed aside as officials have tried to find ways around them. From this grows the constant attack on civil liberties. The assumption made by Freedman is that this pattern will continue in the second Bush administration, especially if the Patriot Act is to be renewed and made permanent.
Senior geology major, Tim Firth, said the Patriot Act, “Was definitely given a negative slant” at the lecture and it has a “deceiving name with a lot of dark implications and fine lines. I would like to see it expire.”