[Mb-civic] Montana says overwhelming "NO" to Patriot Acti

Sun Apr 3 21:28:12 PDT 2005

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0402-02.htm

Published on Saturday, April 2, 2005 by the Billings Gazette (Montana)
House Condemns Patriot Act
by Jennifer McKee
Gazette State Bureau

HELENA - Montana lawmakers overwhelmingly passed what its 
sponsor called the nation's most strongly worded criticism of the 
federal Patriot Act on Friday, uniting politicians of all stripes.

The resolution, which already galloped through the Senate and passed 
the House 88-12 Friday, must survive a final vote before it officially 
passes.

Senate Joint Resolution 19, sponsored by Sen. Jim Elliott, D-Trout 
Creek, says that while the 2005 Legislature supports the federal 
government's fight against terrorism, the so-called Patriot Act of 2001 
granted authorities sweeping powers that violate citizens' rights 
enshrined in both the U.S. and Montanan constitutions.

The resolution, which does not carry the weight of a law but expresses 
the Legislature's opinion, encourages Montana law enforcement 
agencies not to participate in investigations authorized under the 
Patriot Act that violate Montanans' constitutional rights. It requests all 
libraries in the state to post a sign warning citizens that under the 
Patriot Act, federal agents may force librarians to turn over a record of 
books a person has checked out and never inform that citizen of the 
request.

The resolution asks Montana's attorney general to review any state 
intelligence information and destroy it if is not tied directly to suspected 
criminals. It also asks the attorney general to find out how many 
Montanans have been arrested under the Patriot Act and how many 
people have been subject to so-called "sneak and peaks," or 
government searches of a person's property without the person's 
knowledge.

Elliott, a Democrat and rancher from northwestern Montana, 
sponsored the resolution, but it garnered support from Republicans on 
the far right of the political spectrum.

"Sometimes we just take liberty for granted in the country," said Rep. 
Roger Koopman, R-Bozeman, who keeps a plant called "the Liberty 
Tree" on his legislative desk.

Koopman said his Liberty Tree was "blooming for this bill."

"Frankly, what it says to me is that civil liberties are a bipartisan issue 
in Montana," said Rep. Rick Maejde, R-Trout Creek, who led the 
House debate for the resolution.

Elliott said he was "very, very pleased" the resolution had such 
support.

"Montana isn't the first state that passed a resolution, but this 
resolution is the strongest statement against the constitutional 
violations of the Patriot Act of any state and almost every city or 
county," he said.

Twelve representatives - all Republicans - voted against the measure, 
including Rep. Bob Lake, R-Hamilton.

"I don't like resolutions because they do absolutely nothing," he said in 
an interview after the vote. He also said the resolution was too vague. 
Is it a sacrifice of personal liberty to not be able to take a gun on an 
airplane? he asked. Is that the kind of thing this resolution objects to?

"So, they're going to get this thing back in D.C. and say, 'O.K., 
Montana doesn't like what we're doing. So what?,' " he said. "It has no 
meaning to it."

On the Net: Bill of Rights Defense Committee

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