Since September 11, 2001, the United States has passed laws and adopted
law enforcement methods that compromise core American values and put
our country on shaky ground internationally. Under the USA PATRIOT Act and related legislation—and under executive orders enacted without public review—federal authorities have:
· gained
new power to monitor the daily activities of U.S. citizens and
residents and collect information on personal associations, reading
habits, and opinions;
· weakened
the power of the American people to monitor government activities and
built barriers that restrict the flow of information and ideas;
· and created a shadow legal system that undercuts basic due-process protections.
Government officials insist these measures are necessary to fight
terrorism and prevent future terrorist attacks. But similar laws in
other countries grappling with terrorism and security threats have
generally made difficult situations worse and have often been misused
to shield government failings, silence critics, and thwart democracy.
Before 9/11, the United States criticized governments that
suppressed freedom of speech and information and disregarded
due-process protections in the name of fighting terrorism. We
officially condemned trials by secret tribunals, protested secret
detentions, and challenged restrictions on access to information and
limits on the right to criticize government actions. We rejected the
same arguments our own leaders now offer to justify emergency powers.
In a bitter turn, many governments we criticized then now point to U.S.
behavior to justify new levels of repression.
What was wrong then remains wrong today. Aspects of post-9/11
security measures, and the ways these measures have been applied,
threaten free expression, harm democracy, and put us on the wrong side
of international laws we have long promoted.
It is time to review the USA PATRIOT Act and the full range of
antiterrorism laws and orders enacted since 9/11. As writers and as
United States residents and citizens, we encourage our elected
representatives to take concrete steps to:
· protect the personal privacy necessary for the free exploration of information and ideas;
· protect public access to both governmental information and a full range of voices from the United States and around the world;
· and promote U.S.
policies that reflect a core commitment to individual rights, preserve
these rights at home, and expand them internationally. |
