The House Judiciary Committee has proposed a bill that would restrict civil liberties in order to improve national security. Among two of the bill's critics are IU Law professors Patrick Baude and John Scanlan. \n"I think when we talk about civil liberties and acts of terrorism, it is important to separate the concerns that genuinely grow out of these events," Baude said. \nIn a Wednesday discussion "Civil Liberties in the Wake of the Recent Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.," Baude and Scanlan outlined their concerns. \nThe bill addresses issues of private security, such as Internet surveillance, wire tapping, and supervision of financial transactions. The bill's broad definition of "terrorism" includes activities most citizens would not consider terrorism, according to the American Civil Liberties Union Web site.\nAlong with the ACLU, Baude has reservations about the bill -- one being the renewed distinction that he thinks it would draw between citizens and non-citizens nationwide. Baude said a direct result of the distinction would be a loss of international friendships on campus and, in turn, a suppression of the international climate of the university. But non-citizens should not be the primary cause for concern, he said.\n"This concern about thinking this about non-citizens is a danger to the future of the country," Baude said. "Scape-goating almost always works out that way." \nWith the new bill, students would also be faced with information privacy issues, Baude said. Among these are increased access by government officials and safety officials to personal information, such as e-mail and bank accounts. \nBut senior Paul Schitz isn't concerned.\n"After something like the World Trade Center happens, you want to take every precaution," he said. "It's not as if they are going to get into my e-mail and read it for fun. They would have to have some motivation to do it."\nIn addition to security issues, the bill also addresses the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, that protects a suspect from being held without evidence. Under the provision of the bill, the government would have the right to detain non-citizens suspected of terrorism for up to seven days before charging them with a crime or violation of the law. The detention is currently limited to one or two days.\nBut Scanlan puts a positive spin on the negotiations in Washington.\n"I think that the deliberation that we are seeing is a very good sign on the way that Congress is approaching the matter," Scanlan said.
links: http://www.law.indiana.edu/\nhttp://www.house.gov
