| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"jwk" |
| Date: |
23 Sep 2003 12:46:13 PM |
| Object: |
Mind if I write for the EAP? |
<Excuse me for taking the liberty Elroy. I thought your "publication"
was the appropriate venue.>
Patriot Act Used In 19-Year-Old Deportation Case
Administration Revives Effort
By jwk
EAP Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
The Bush administration has decided to pursue a 19-year-old effort to
deport two atheist activists who as students distributed magazines and
raised funds for a group the government considers a terrorist
organization, despite several court rulings that the deportations are
unconstitutional because the men were not involved in terrorist
activity.
The case could pose a new judicial test of a controversial provision
in the Patriot Act, passed in 2001. The provision prohibits supplying
material support for organizations the government deems "terrorist,"
even without evidence of a link to specific terrorist acts.
At the time of their initial arrest in 1985, the activists (whoes
names are being withheld by Justice) were allegedly affiliated with
American Atheists, an atheist group that has advocated freedom from
religion and been involved in various anti-American demonstrations and
activities. They have admitted to opposing the reference to "God" in
the US Pledge of Allegiance and on US currency, and many members
recently demonstrated against the war in Iraq.
The government alleges that the two foreign-born atheists have paid
dues to American Atheists since the mid-1980s. They have also engaged
in online discussions in the web news group alt.atheism where
derogatory remarks were made about former Presidents Reagan and Bush
and current President Bush. "Remarks were made about how this country
would be "better off without" these great men" a source at Justice
told us. "That is obviously a threat on the Presidents' lives and is
illegal."
The atheists, through their government-appointed lawyer, deny any
intention to harm American Presidents and say they are being punished
for speaking on behalf of the atheist cause. Both men have respectable
jobs; both live with their families in the US and say they have no
connection to terrorism.
"I don't know any other home," one was quoted by his lawyer as saying.
"This is a religious case" being pursued because of Christian
Republican prejudices, he said. "We were never charged with doing
anything except speaking out."
In seeking the deportation in 1985, the Reagan administration's
Justice Department invoked a provision of the Cold War-era
McCarran-Walter Act, which barred membership in communist groups.
"Everyone knows atheist are commies." Opined one Ashcroft's aides.
But a lawsuit filed by the so-called American Civil Liberties Union
led a federal appeals court to declare the law an unconstitutional
infringement of free speech, and Congress repealed it in 1990.
The deportation cases nonetheless continued to churn through the
courts because Congress's action did not affect pending disputes.
Then-FBI Director William Webster conceded in 1987 that none of the
eight had engaged in terrorist activity and that they would not have
been arrested if they were U.S. citizens. Civil liberties groups
charged that the government was wrongly excluding the immigrants from
traditional protections of free speech and association.
Six of the cases were ultimately deemed minor technical violations. In
January, the Bush administration was given a summer deadline for
declaring whether it would still seek to invoke the McCarran Act. Last
week, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it would
pursue the deportations but drew on the language of the Patriot Act.
A department spokesman yesterday declined to elaborate.
"This has always been a case of guilt by association and persecution
of religious minorities. Nothing more." said a lawyer for the ACLU
who is familiar with the case.
Think this is *only a joke? Read this -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49517-2003Sep22.html
The EAP tag doesn't really belong on this one because it is (almost)
real.
jwk
BAAWA
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| User: "Elroy Willis" |
|
| Title: Re: Mind if I write for the EAP? |
25 Sep 2003 09:48:02 AM |
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(jwk) wrote in alt.atheism
<Excuse me for taking the liberty Elroy. I thought your "publication"
was the appropriate venue.>
Patriot Act Used In 19-Year-Old Deportation Case
Administration Revives Effort
By jwk
EAP Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
The Bush administration has decided to pursue a 19-year-old effort to
deport two atheist activists who as students distributed magazines and
raised funds for a group the government considers a terrorist
organization, despite several court rulings that the deportations are
unconstitutional because the men were not involved in terrorist
activity.
"This has always been a case of guilt by association and persecution
of religious minorities. Nothing more." said a lawyer for the ACLU
who is familiar with the case.
Think this is *only a joke? Read this -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49517-2003Sep22.html
The EAP tag doesn't really belong on this one because it is (almost)
real.
It was a bit too real or scary and not enough humor factor, imo.
--
Elroy Willis
EAP Chief Editor and Newshound
http://web2.airmail.net/~elo/news
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| User: "jwk" |
|
| Title: Re: Mind if I write for the EAP? |
25 Sep 2003 12:05:25 PM |
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Elroy Willis <elo@airmail.net> wrote in message news:<6uv5nvkjeuog898fslh2u5nm2novq910le@4ax.com>...
jwkinraleigh@yahoo.com (jwk) wrote in alt.atheism
<Excuse me for taking the liberty Elroy. I thought your "publication"
was the appropriate venue.>
Patriot Act Used In 19-Year-Old Deportation Case
Administration Revives Effort
By jwk
EAP Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
The Bush administration has decided to pursue a 19-year-old effort to
deport two atheist activists who as students distributed magazines and
raised funds for a group the government considers a terrorist
organization, despite several court rulings that the deportations are
unconstitutional because the men were not involved in terrorist
activity.
"This has always been a case of guilt by association and persecution
of religious minorities. Nothing more." said a lawyer for the ACLU
who is familiar with the case.
Think this is *only a joke? Read this -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49517-2003Sep22.html
The EAP tag doesn't really belong on this one because it is (almost)
real.
It was a bit too real or scary and not enough humor factor, imo.
I agree. I just wanted to make a point really. Putting an EAP tag on
it occured to me after I did it.
Also, I was watching the new show "Threat Matrix" the other night. If
you think about what you are watching, paranoia should start to set
in. I doubt HSA has all the tools they claim in that show, but I know
they have ideas to develop some of them. Things like monitoring every
phone call in the US for keywords and then being able to save a copy
of that conversation. Gives you the creeps.
jwk
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