We just did a live radio interview on Dan Viets' program in Missouri on the Patriot Act and abuses. For those listeners checking in here, and anyone else who's interested, we are reprinting a list of the changes that we published back in September.

The list comes from the Des Moines Sunday Register (September 1, 2002 edition). It was in the print (but not online) edition of the paper accompanying the opinion article "Lessons in Freedoms, Rights" by Rekha Basu.

Some of the fundamental changes to Americans' legal rights by the Bush administration and the USA Patriot Act following the terror attacks are:

Freedom of Association: Government may monitor religious and political institutions without suspecting criminal activity to assist terror investigation.

Freedom of Information: Government has closed once-public immigration hearings, has secretly detained hundreds of people without charges, and has encouraged bureaucrats to resist public-records requests.

Freedom of Speech: Government may prosecute librarians or keepers of any other records if they tell anyone that the government subpoenaed information related to a terror investigation. The FBI won't say how many public libraries it has checked in order to determine who is getting particular books or looking up certain information on computers. A University of Illinois survey of nearly 2,000 libraries in December and January determined that the agency searched one of every nine of the nations largest libraries.
Right to Legal Representation: Government may monitor federal prison jailhouse conversations between attorneys and clients and deny lawyers to Americans accused of crimes.

Freedom from Unreasonable Searches: Government may search and seize Americans' papers and effects without probable cause to assist terror investigation.

Trial: Government may jail Americans without a trial.

Right to Liberty: Americans may be jailed without being charged or being able to confront witnesses against them.

Other Changes: Government may listen to suspects on any telephones they might use, not just on a specific phone. The FBI and intelligence agents may share information, an unprecedented shift away from a 24-year-old policy that placed a high wall between domestic law enforcement officials and the CIA. The Treasury Department may target banks and foreign countries deemed havens for money-laundering. The Immigration and Naturalization Service may hold noncitizens up to seven days without charges and detain them indefinitely if they are considered a threat to national security.

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