Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(December 2003)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
The USA Patriot Act:
What better to follow a paragraph entitled "Big
Brother is watching you", than to take a brief look at
the "USA
Patriot Act", (HR3162), passed by Congress on the 25
th of October 2001.
 This complex and very comprehensive
document is purported to provide appropriate tools required
to intercept and obstruct terrorism. Of course, as in
most documents, its contents contain many loopholes which
can be abused by both the military and civilian law enforcement
authorities in their zealous pursuit of perceived criminal
acts, which in some cases have been applied against perfectly
law abiding citizens. For instance certain law enforcement
organizations have the legal right under one of the hundreds
of the laws within the act to obtain financial records
of "any one" that they suspect is considered to
be involved in unlawful/illegal monetary transactions.
I would suggest that this type of investigation should
legally come under the jurisdiction of the FBI, not the
lower echelons of law enforcement.
 So the question arises
as to whether the law is being used by certain lower
echelon law enforcement officials to investigate and
entrap law abiding American citizens - I have no proof
of any situation where this has happened, and certainly
cannot quote specific cases, although news media sources
have suggested that cases have arisen where it has
been determined that some law enforcement officials have
exceeded their authority in the use of the US Patriot
Act.
Then of course there is the case of the 600 plus Afghan
combatants which the United States has determined cannot
be named Prisoners of War as that would give them POW
rights as established under the Geneva Convention.
The United States very cleverly stashed them away on
an American base located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and
then stipulated that as they were so say not imprisoned
upon American soil, the prisoners, (who have been there
for over two years), did not have any civil rights
and were subject to the US Patriot Act which deprived
them of their rights to legal representation, legal council, and the rights
of a speedy trial. Instead they will be tried by a Military Tribunal, which
has the power to convict and pass sentence, which could include the death
penalty.
The more things change---the more they remain
the same. ???
(Or as in Rome do as the Romans do). Supposedly
attributed to Marcus Tullius Cicero. (55 BC).
 “The National budget must be balanced. The public debt
must be reduced.
The arrogance of the authorities must
be moderated and controlled.
Payments to foreign governments must be reduced if this nation does not want
to go into bankruptcy.
People must learn to work, instead of living upon public
assistance”.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents
of these newsletters. Please send all correspondence to
bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
|
