|
January
2, 2002
Shahid
Alam
Is
There An Islamic Problem?
David
Vest
Turn,
Turn, Turn
January
1, 2002
Kathy
Kelly
Iraq's
New Year
December
31, 2001
John Absood
An
Alternative to War in Iraq
Ramzi
Kysia
Iraq
Goes Radioactive
December
28, 2001
John Chuckman
Observing
George Bush
Suren
Pillay
Civilian
Bodies
Aaron
Lehmer
Inviting
Future Terrorism
December
27, 2001
Patrick
McNamara
Palestinian
Children Bear Brunt of Mideast Violence
Nelson
Valdés
A
Possible Scenario on the Location of bin Laden
Jensen
and Mahajan
Remember
the Afghan Dead
Philip
Farruggio
A
New Year's Resolution
Ramzi
Kysia
The
People of the Valley
December 26, 2001
John Chuckman
In
Praise of the Unspeakable
Sam Bahour
2002:
Year of the Twos
December 25, 2001
Jennifer Loewenstein
Israel's
Human Rights Record
December 24, 2001
Sam Bahour
It
Happened One Morning
Yair Khilou
Why I Resisted
Being Drafted into the Israeli Army
Michael
Chisari
War
as Diversionary Tactic
Cockburn/St. Clair
Enron
and the Green Seal
December 21, 2001
Tom Turnipseed
War
Good for Bush
John Chuckman
The
First Victim in the
War on Terror
December 20, 2001
Lawrence
McGuire
Killing
Other People's Children
Miriam Rozen
Foundation
Without Representation?
Kenneth
Roth
A
Letter to Rumsfeld on
Military Tribunals
William Blum
Casualties:
Theirs and Ours
December 19, 2001
Marjorie
Cohn
Don't
Pre-Judge John Walker
Sam Bahour
Palestine
and You
A Photographic Journal of Life
in an Afghan Refugee Camp
By Judith Mann
Resources:
100s of Links
About 9/11
CounterPunch:
Complete
Coverage of 9/11 and Its Aftermath
Five
Days That
Shook The World:
Seattle and Beyond
By Alexander
Cockburn
and Jeffrey St. Clair
Photos by Allan Sekula
(Click Here to Order from CounterPunch
Online at 20% Off Amazon.com's price!)
INSIDE
EXCLUSIVE
TO
COUNTERPUNCH
SUBSCRIBERS
Published Oct. 15, 2001
8-Page Special Issue
War Diary
CIA's Assassination Plan a History of
Torture in US Prisons
bin Laden and Bush
Business Connections
Aisha Ikramuddin on the Hidden Hype
of US Food Bombs
Peter Linebaugh on
Pakistan
Christopher Hitchens' Love for Mrs. Thatcher
Jiang Zemin Tells Bush:
Nuke 'Em
Search
CounterPunch
Read Whiteout and Find Out
How the CIA's Backing of the Mujahideen Created the World's Most
Robust Heroin Market and Helped to Finance the Rise of the Taliban
and Osama bin Laden
Whiteout:
CIA, Drugs & the
Press
by Alexander
Cockburn
and Jeffrey St. Clair
The Memphis Blues Again:
Six Decades of Memphis Music Photographs
Photos by Ernest Withers
Text by Daniel Wolff
The New Intifada:
Resisting Israel's Apartheid
Edited by Roane Carey
A Pocket Guide to
Environmental Bad Guys
by James Ridgeway
and Jeffrey St. Clair
The
Phoenix Program
by Douglas Valentine
Al Gore:
A User's Manual
by Cockburn
and St. Clair
Buy
This Explosive
New Book at an
Amazing Discount!
Reviews of Gore:
a User's Manual
|
January
2, 2002
Patriot Act Redefines Mob as "Terrorist
Associates"
By Ross Regnart
Under the Patriot Act the U.S. Government can
use a "new charge" to arrest Mob members. The Act-redefined
"Terrorist Association" as any criminal activity that
may "relate" to supporting terrorists.
The Act defines terrorist activity as
any criminal activity that "participates" in "World
Markets" that terrorists may use or depend on for their
support."
For prosecution, the U.S. Patriot Act
merges common criminal activity with supporting terrorism: The
Act states: criminals and terrorists use the same world "networks
and organizations to "Market" illegal-drugs; and both
have interests in criminal activity."
The U.S. Government can use the Act to
charge any criminal activity involving illegal drugs as being
"related" to a "criminal market" that networks
with terrorists. It seems unlikely "illegal drug marketers"
can stop terrorists from using their networks to distribute drugs
or other criminal activity.
The Act lends itself to abuse/selective
enforcement: The Act has opened the door for police to make large-scale
arrests and property confiscation. Even seize lawful businesses,
organizations, any asset police allege supported a criminal or
terrorist organization interest.
Charged Defendants Under the Act: Defendants
start out guilty-having to prove they did not reasonably have
reason to know the person(s), organization or entity they associated
or networked had committed a terrorist act or would commit one
in the future. What constitutes terrorism under the Act may be
arbitrarily decided by police: Any physical act that is legal
or illegal may be alleged by police to be a terrorist act under
18USC 2331. For Example: Union demonstrators fighting with strike
breakers. Note: No one need be injured for police to make terrorist
charges; demonstrators need only "appear intended to intimidate
or coerce a civilian population; or to influence the policy of
a government". (See 18USC ).
Under Patriot Act-Common Criminal Conduct
Supports Terrorism: "illegal drug marketers" and their
"networks" "join" to assist "criminal
markets" that may help terrorists. "Criminal Markets"
under the Act may involve any illegal activity.
The Act's mention of incidental criminal
networks-opened the door for police under the Act's anti-terrorism
provision to use "secret evidence and witnesses" against
non-terrorist criminal defendants in both U.S. Military Tribunals
and Civilian "Star Chamber Courts". It would seem not
possible for anyone to defend against government-paid and/or
other secret witnesses when a defendant is not allowed to learn
the evidence being used against them. Under such circumstances,
government interests should have no difficulty causing the imprisonment,
execution and/or confiscation of assets of any person government
deems undesirable.
Under the Patriot Act: The Government
got the power from Congress to charge Citizens for crimes that
allegedly "relate" to activities that may support terrorists
or threaten the safety, economic or national security of the
United States. Foreign terrorist suspects now sit in U.S. Jails.
Great! But could Americans be next to lose their right to have
confidential meetings with attorneys. Imagine Americans, forced
to endure Government agents sitting at their table whenever an
attorney comes to meet with them in jail? Could this happen here?
The media has not fully addressed this Constitutional concern.
|