Civil Liberties

LONDON -- The government unveiled sweeping antiterrorism legislation yesterday designed to crack down on Islamic extremism, raising concerns from Muslim leaders, opposition parties, and legal specialists about the possibility of infringement on civil liberties. After the attacks in July on London's transit system, the government has asked for the power to detain suspects in terrorist attacks for three months without charge. It also wants to outlaw attending what the goverment may deem "terrorist" training camps in Britain or abroad, and to make it an offense to encourage terrorism.

House Republicans are pushing ahead with legislation to protect the nation's critical infrastructure and corporations from electronic attacks despite Obama administration objections that the legislation fails to protect Americans' civil liberties. The House begins work Thursday on the bill designed to address the cybersecurity threat by getting the private sector and government to share information to thwart attacks from foreign governments, terrorists and cybercriminals. Although the information sharing is voluntary, civil liberty groups fear the measure could lead to government spying on...

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Nearly half of all Americans surveyed said they think the US government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, according to a nationwide poll. The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious. Researchers also found that respondents who paid more attention to television news were more likely to fear terrorist attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslim...

IT'S FINE to make Americans strip naked at the whim of police. But force them to buy health insurance? That's too much government interference. The US Supreme Court recently ruled, 5-4, that law enforcement officials can strip-search people who are arrested for any offense, no matter how trivial, before admitting them to jail. The majority opinion was written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who was backed by the conservative wing of the court. Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Antonin Scalia joined all of Kennedy's opinion; Justice Clarence Thomas...

WASHINGTON -- In a case of legislative déjà vu, Senator Russell D. Feingold launched another lonely filibuster against the USA Patriot Act, but sponsors predicted enough support to overcome the tactic and extend parts of the law, which is set to expire March 10. Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, said protracted talks with the White House over the law's protections for civil liberties produced only a "fig leaf" to cover weaknesses that...

Rather than mandating that door-to-door solicitors register their fingerprints and other personal information with the town, potentially violating their civil liberties in the process (“Harsher rules, fines enacted,’’ May 22), Foxborough, and all cities and towns, should provide a mechanism for residents to “opt out’’ from all door-to-door solicitations — religious, commercial, political — all of them. This would protect the sanctity of solicitors’ private information and simultaneously protect residents’ rights to privacy and to not being...

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department has found no incidents in which the antiterrorism Patriot Act has been invoked to abuse civil rights or civil liberties but has identified instances of mistreatment of Muslims and Arabs that did not involve the act. Yesterday's report probably will provide fodder for Bush administration efforts to persuade Congress to renew the law, which expires in 2005. The law, passed shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, faces a legion of critics who contend its expansion of government surveillance powers violates constitutional free speech and privacy...

JULIETTE KAYYEM’S use of New York’s vote to allow gay marriage as inspiration for a tribute to states’ rights (“Rebels at Heart; New York’s gay marriage vote follows the American spirit,’’ Op-ed, July 4) is fallacious, and detrimental to the cause of civil liberties. America’s so-called desire for a “leap of faith that one state may know better’’ might have passed same-sex marriage in New York, but is also the reason that 16 states did not repeal anti-miscegenation laws until 1967.

By now, in the year 2006, the bar is awfully high for anyone aiming to bring us a big dose of 9/11 and its aftermath. We have been exposed to this package in various forms for half a decade. There is also a latent fatigue with the media penchant for anniversary-based specials. It is with some unease, then, that we note the caravan of 9/11 fifth anniversary programs that have arrived. Amid the heavy traffic stands Ted Koppel's three-hour opus, "The Price of Security," -- half documentary and half live "national town hall meeting" that he will moderate on the clash between national security and...

WASHINGTON - A plan to use US spy satellites for domestic security and law enforcement missions is moving forward after being delayed for months because of privacy and civil liberties concerns. The charter and legal framework for an office within the Homeland Security Department that would use overhead and mapping imagery from existing satellites is in the final stage of completion, according to a department official who requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The future of this program is likely to come up today when Homeland...

In the early months after the 9/11 terror attacks, America's visceral reaction was to gird for a relentless, whatever-it-takes quest to punish those responsible and prevent any recurrences. To a striking extent, those goals have been achieved. Yet over the years, Americans have also learned about trade-offs, about decisions and practices that placed national security on a higher plane than civil liberties and, in the view of some, above the rule of law. It's by no means the first time in U.S. history that security concerns spawned tactics that, when brought to light, troubled...

The Maine Civil Liberties Union has changed its name 43 years after it was founded. The organization announced yesterday that it is now called the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, or ACLU of Maine. Executive director Shenna Bellows said the name change reflects the group's work on national issues and affiliation with the ACLU. (AP)

THE FIRST Circuit Court of Appeals, which sits in Boston, struck an important blow for civil liberties late last month when it ruled that a man arrested for taping Boston police on the Common in 2007 could go forward with his lawsuit against the city. The standard for suing police is rightfully high. A plaintiff can sue only for violations of "clearly established rights. " But that is exactly what happened when police arrested Simon Glik for taping them. Glik was walking on the Common when he saw a group of officers arresting a man with what seemed like excessive force.

JULIETTE KAYYEM’S use of New York’s vote to allow gay marriage as inspiration for a tribute to states’ rights (“Rebels at Heart; New York’s gay marriage vote follows the American spirit,’’ Op-ed, July 4) is fallacious, and detrimental to the cause of civil liberties. America’s so-called desire for a “leap of faith that one state may know better’’ might have passed same-sex marriage in New York, but is also the reason that 16 states did not repeal anti-miscegenation laws until 1967.

Rather than mandating that door-to-door solicitors register their fingerprints and other personal information with the town, potentially violating their civil liberties in the process (“Harsher rules, fines enacted,’’ May 22), Foxborough, and all cities and towns, should provide a mechanism for residents to “opt out’’ from all door-to-door solicitations — religious, commercial, political — all of them. This would protect the sanctity of solicitors’ private information and simultaneously protect residents’ rights to privacy and to not being disturbed in their homes, if they...

LONDON — Britain’s new deputy prime minister pledged yesterday to lead a sweeping drive to protect civil liberties by curbing official surveillance and data collection, scrapping an unpopular national identity card program, limiting the retention of DNA profiles, and regulating the spread of closed-circuit TV cameras. Nick Clegg said the coalition government was rolling back government monitoring after years of complaints from rights groups that personal freedoms have been sacrificed in the name of national security.

LONDON — Britain’s new deputy prime minister pledged yesterday to lead a sweeping drive to protect civil liberties by curbing official surveillance and data collection, scrapping an unpopular national identity card program, limiting the retention of DNA profiles, and regulating the spread of closed-circuit TV cameras. Nick Clegg said the coalition government was rolling back government monitoring after years of complaints from rights groups that personal freedoms have been sacrificed in the name of national security.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - George H.W. Bush delivered an optimistic commencement address at Bryant University yesterday, telling about 750 graduating seniors that "seeing you all of you . . . only reaffirms my optimism in my country's future. " The former president and father of the current commander in chief said he does not believe in the pessimistic talk because the United States is the greatest nation on the earth. He urged the graduates to contribute to the overall well-being of the country.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - Privacy advocates are criticizing a new surveillance system used by South Portland police that reads license plates, a system police defend as a tool to help solve crimes, find wanted individuals, and locate missing people. South Portland is apparently Maine’s first community to use a system that can read license numbers and run them through national crime databases, the Portland Press Herald reported. The system, which uses cameras mounted on cruisers, has produced hits since the technology was installed Jan. 6, but no enforcement actions.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - The coup-installed president of Honduras backed down yesterday from an escalating standoff with protesters and suggested he would restore civil liberties and reopen dissident television and radio stations by the end of the week. Riot police ringed supporters of the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, who gathered for a large-scale protest march, setting off a daylong standoff. The government of the interim president, Roberto Micheletti, declared the march illegal, sent soldiers to silence dissident broadcasters, and suspended civil...