Seattle Weekly: News: Politics: Waiting for the Bullet by Geov Parrish

When I picked up the Seattle Weekly this morning and read Goev Parrish' article, I had an unmistakable sinking feeling. The article outlines some of the provisions of the recently leaked PATRIOT Act II bill. The key is the massive extension of government powers over anyone who is in any way associated with a gorup deemed to be terrorist, to wit:

• "Individuals, whether or not they are citizens, may be declared official enemies with whom the United States is at war.
  
• Information on who the government "detains" will be banned. Ditto what is then done to them. Freedom of Information Act requests will be denied, leaks will be crimes, and publication of that information will also be criminal.
  
• The Justice Department's proposed new law also vastly expands other penalties, including a dramatic escalation of criminal penalties for routine immigration violations--even when the INS is at fault."

There are a couple of problems here. For one, there's no oversight over what organizations the government deems terrorist. In essence, they can immediately strip any group of people of their constitutional rights by fiat. It also extends the de-facto criminal status of immigrants. If you are an immigrant in the united states, you can be detained without any formal charge being made. As an immigrant, this makes me a little nervous.

And when I finally do become a citizen, it turns out that my citizenship may now be viewed as a priviledge. In the United States, sovereignty lies in the people of the United States. So what does it mean when the adminstration can revoke this sovereignty?