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Gonzales Defends Patriot Act at Judiciary Hearing as Congress
Mulls Renewal
Florida Lawmakers Expand Law to Kill in Self Defense
Conservative 'Academic Bill of Rights' Limits "Controversial
Matter" in Classroom
Columbia U. Prof. Rashid Khalidi: "Freedom of Speech
and Academic Freedom Are Necessary For Unpopular and Difficult
Ideas"
Gonzales Defends Patriot Act at Judiciary Hearing
as Congress Mulls Renewal
At a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales defended the Patriot Act and urged
Congress to renew controversial parts of the legislation that
are due to expire this year. We go to an excerpt of the hearing.
The Bush administration launched its campaign Tuesday to
preserve and expand the USA Patriot Act. At a hearing before
the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
defended the legislation and warned against any effort to
dismantle it saying, "Now is not the time for us to be
engaging in unilateral disarmament" in the war on terrorism.
The panel was the first in an expected series of Congressional
oversight hearings on the Patriot Act, parts of which are
set to expire by the end of the year unless Congress votes
to renew them.
The hearing came amid the disclosure of a 75 percent increase
in secret wiretaps and so-called "sneak and peek"
searches since 2000.
Over the past three years, the Patriot Act has drawn opposition
from across the political spectrum. Last month, the American
Civil Liberties Union joined forces with several conservative
organizations to urge Congress and the administration to fix
the most extreme provisions of the legislation. Members include
former Congressman Bob Barr, Americans for Tax Reform, the
American Conservative Union and others. Nationwide, resolutions
criticizing the Patriot Act have passed in hundreds of local
and state governments.
The Patriot Act has also come under criticism from lawmakers
on both sides of the aisle. After yesterday's hearing, Republican
Senator Larry Craig of Idaho and Democrat Richard Durbin of
Illinois announced plans to introduce a joint bill aimed at
scaling back major parts of the law.
Perhaps the most heated exchange during yesterday's hearing
came during Durbin's questioning of Gonzales. This is an excerpt.
- Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) questioning Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
on Patriot Act, April 5, 2005.
Florida Lawmakers Expand Law to Kill in Self Defense
The Florida legislature Tuesday passed a bill allowing people
to use deadly force in a public place if they have a reasonable
belief that they are in danger of death or great bodily harm.
We host a debate between a lobbyist for the National Rifle
Association and the executive director of the Florida Coalition
to Stop Gun Violence.
A spate of high-profile gun shootings over the past few weeks
have gripped the nation. In Chicago, the family of a federal
judge was gunned down in her apartment. In Georgia, a man
appearing in court on rape charges shot dead the presiding
judge in his case and three others. In Wisconsin, a gunman
opened fire at a church service killing seven including the
church minister. And in the Red Lake Indian Reservation in
Minnesota, a high-school student went on a shooting rampage
killing ten people in the nation's worst school shooting since
the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.
Now, the argument being made by lawmakers around the country
to prevent gun violence is - more guns. An article in this
past weekend's Sunday New York Times writes how the debate
over guns has changed since the Columbine shootings. They
write, "Those shootings inspired gun-control proposals
in Congress and in state legislatures, and forced gun advocates
to retreat from legislation they hoped to pass." Six
years later, efforts are being made to loosen gun control
laws across the country.
Yesterday in Florida, the state legislature passed a bill
allowing people to use deadly force in a public place if they
have a reasonable belief that they are in danger of death
or great bodily harm. The so-called "stand your ground"
bill is on its way to Governor Jeb Bush who is expected to
sign it.
Florida courts have already ruled that people can use deadly
force to protect themselves in their homes without first trying
to escape. But the courts have ruled that outside the home,
victims must attempt to escape before using deadly force.
This bill removes that requirement. Today we host a debate.
- Marion Hammer , lobbyist for the National Rifle Association
and the executive director of the United Sportsmen of Florida.
She is the former president of the NRA.
Conservative 'Academic Bill of Rights' Limits "Controversial
Matter" in Classroom
Members of the Florida State legislature heard testimony
Tuesday about the so-called "academic freedom" bill
that would develop a statewide "bill of rights"
for faculty to follow in the interest of delivering what they
call a "fair and balanced" curriculum. We host a
debate between the Florida legislator who introduced the bill
and the President of the Faculty Union of University of South
Florida.
Yesterday members of the Florida State legislature heard
testimony about the so-called "academic freedom"
bill or HB 837. The bill would develop a statewide "bill
of rights" for faculty to follow in the interest of delivering
a "fair and balanced" curriculum. The bill is a
product of an academic bill of rights written by David Horowitz,
founder of the conservative think tank, Students for Academic
Freedom.
The group has been campaigning for state and federal legislation
that adopts the bill. The website for Students for Academic
Freedom features a template for such legislation, which can
be copied by any interested state legislator. There are similar
bills pending in California, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
- Roy Weatherford, a professor of philosophy at University
of South Florida. He is also the President of the Faculty
Union of University of South Florida.
Columbia U. Prof. Rashid Khalidi: "Freedom of
Speech and Academic Freedom Are Necessary For Unpopular and
Difficult Ideas"
After months of closed-door hearings a, faculty committee
at Columbia University released a report that largely cleared
professors of Middle Eastern studies of charges that they
were intimidating students and stated that there was no evidence
of anti-Semitism. We hear professor Rashid Khalidi speaking
at a teach-in on academic freedom. [includes rush
transcript]
Another debate about academic freedom has been playing out
at New York's Columbia University. After months of closed-door
hearings, last week a faculty committee at Columbia released
a report that largely cleared professors of Middle Eastern
studies of charges that they were intimidating students and
stated that there was no evidence of anti-Semitism at the
school. However, the panel did criticize Joseph Massad, a
professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history,
saying that he told a student to leave his class after she
defended Israel's conduct toward Palestinians. Professor Massad
denies the charge.
On Monday night, a teach-in addressing academic freedom was
held at Columbia.
- Rashid Khalidi, professor of Arab studies and the Director
of the Middle East Institute, speaking at Columbia University,
April 4, 2005.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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