Bush’s approval rating drops sharply
Public support for President Bush has dropped sharply amid growing concerns
about US military casualties and doubts whether the war with Iraq was
worth fighting, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Bush’s overall job approval rating dropped to 59 percent, down
nine points in the past 18 days. That decline exactly mirrored the slide
in public support for Bush’s handling of the situation in Iraq,
which now stands at 58 percent.
And for the first time, slightly more than half the country — 52
percent—believes there has been an “unacceptable” level
of US casualties in Iraq, up eight points in less than three weeks.
Taken together, the latest survey findings suggest that the mix of euphoria
and relief that followed the quick US victory in Iraq continues to dissipate,
creating an uncertain and volatile political environment. The risks
are perhaps most obvious for Bush, whose continued high standing with
the American people has been fueled largely by his handling of the war
on terrorism and, more recently, the war in Iraq. (Washington Post)
ACLU says DOJ deceiving Americans on PATRIOT Act
The Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union are
at war over what the ACLU says are deliberate misrepresentations of
the USA Patriot Act.
The department strongly denies ACLU allegations that it is misleading
the public about the sweeping surveillance provisions of the massive
anti-terrorism law.
The ACLU released a report Wednesday, “Seeking Truth from Justice,”
that concludes the Justice Department participated in a “pattern
of deceit” about the effects of the first USA Patriot Act on
average Americans.
“It is time for the Justice Department to stop misleading the
American people,” the report says. The USA Patriot Act was enacted
by Congress in 2001 “with minimal discussion and debate in the
panicked weeks after 9-11.”
“That the department and its allies would repeatedly misrepresent
the scope and nature of new surveillance powers is troubling, to say
the least,” said Ann Beeson, ACLU associate legal director.
The statement particularly targeted what it called the department’s
“repeated assertion that the USA Patriot Act’s surveillance
provisions cannot be used against US citizens. In fact, the surveillance
provisions are applicable to citizens and non-citizens alike. Some
of the surveillance provisions can be used even against citizens who
are not suspected of espionage, terrorism, or crime of any kind.”(UPI)
Court affirms Bush’s power to detain citizen
as enemy
A sharply divided federal appeals court today upheld President Bush’s
authority to detain indefinitely as an enemy combatant a United States
citizen captured on the battlefield and to deny him access to a lawyer.
The full roster of active judges on the United States Court of Appeals
for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, VA, voted eight to four to affirm
a ruling in January that first found such a right, the administration’s
most important legal victory to date concerning expansion of its authority
since the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
The judges today did not issue a majority opinion, just an order upholding
the January decision. Four of them, however, on either side of the
issue, wrote separate, sometimes harshly worded opinions, demonstrating
the deep divisions in a case that essentially presents a stark and
fundamental clash between the nation’s security interests and
its citizens’ civil liberties.
In dissenting from today’s decision by the full court, Judge
Diana Gribbon Motz said the January ruling “marks the first time
in our history that a federal court has approved the elimination of
protections afforded a citizen by the Constitution solely on the basis
of the executive’s designation of that citizen as an enemy combatant,
without testing the accuracy of the designation.” (NY Times)
GOP convention has top security status
The 2004 Republican National Convention in New York was given a special
federal designation yesterday that puts the Secret Service in charge
of overall security planning for the event and could buttress the
city’s effort to have the federal government pay more of the
security costs.
Tom Ridge, the secretary of homeland security, said the convention
had been designated a “national special security event,”
a status given to large events like the Salt Lake City Olympics, the
2002 Super Bowl and the 2000 national political conventions. Next
year’s convention is scheduled for Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 at Madison
Square Garden, just days before the 9/11 anniversary. With the threat
of terrorism and the possibility of large-scale protests, security
has been a paramount concern for organizers of the convention, where
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are expected to be formally
renominated. With 48,000 people converging, including journalists
from around the world, it is expected to be the largest event held
in the city since before the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World
Trade Center.
The Democratic convention, to be held in Boston in July 2004, received
the designation in May. (NY Times)
Battles rage in Congress over family planning funds
The 15th anniversary of World Population Day Friday finds anti-abortion
and pro-family planning forces gearing up for new battles in their
perennial wars in the US Congress over US population assistance overseas.
While George W. Bush, who has taken the most restrictive view on US
family-planning assistance of any president, may veto any bills that
would make it easier for population groups abroad to receive US aid,
pro-family planning groups believe they have momentum and public opinion
on their side.
Population activists were heartened Wed. when the Republican-led Senate
unexpectedly approved an amendment to the fiscal year (FY) 2004 foreign
aid bill that would overturn the so-called Mexico City policy that
bans US aid money for groups and health clinics in developing countries
that perform abortions or promote abortion rights, despite a veto
threat by the White House. The House of Representatives, meanwhile,
faces a key vote scheduled for next Wed. on whether the United States
will resume funding for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the world’s
biggest provider of family-planning assistance to poor countries.
Anti-abortion forces led by New Jersey Republican Rep. Christopher
Smith will try to strip from the FY 2004 State Department Authorization
bill a provision that would grant UNFPA a total of $100 million through
next year. (OneWorld.net)
Rules for terror tribunals may deter lawyers
United States officials say that when they begin military tribunals
for prisoners charged with terrorism, they greatly want the trials
to be seen as fair, both in the nation and throughout the world.
But as the Pentagon prepares for the first such proceedings in more
than 50 years, it is encountering a potent criticism: many lawyers
and bar groups say the conditions for civilian defense lawyers are
so restrictive that they might not agree to participate in the process
and thereby lend it legitimacy.
The issue of whether lawyers should agree to defend prisoners in proceedings
at the naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has been raised
most forcefully so far by Lawrence S. Goldman, president of the National
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
“In view of the extraordinary restrictions on counsel, however,
with considerable regret, we cannot advise any of our members to act
as civilian counsel at Guantánamo,” he wrote. “The
rules regulating counsel’s behavior are just too restrictive
to give us any confidence that counsel will be able to act zealously
and professionally.”
In an interview, Mr. Goldman said his concern was that lawyers could
be “lending their legitimacy to what would otherwise be a sham
proceeding.”
Anyone charged before a military commission would be provided a lawyer
from the military, but the complaints are about the conditions under
which they could hire an additional civilian lawyer. (NY Times)
Cities ready sirens as terror warnings
Cold War-era sirens may be revived as terrorism warnings. Cities including
Oklahoma City, Chicago, and Dallas have upgraded their outdoor warning
systems with a type of siren that can carry voice announcements -
an idea that officials say took on added importance in the post-Sept.
11 world.
Thousands of sirens were built across the country during the Cold
War to warn citizens in case of nuclear attack, but the federal government
stopped the program and the sirens fell silent in many of the nation’s
largest cities. Other cities put them to use to warn of tornadoes.
But terrorism warnings emerged as a new use for the sirens after Sept.
11. The federal government is currently updating the nation’s
civil preparedness guide to discuss improved ways of notifying the
public of emergencies, and that includes the use of sirens. (AP)
Defense ads seek parental support
The US Department of Defense has begun an ad campaign focusing on
the successes of veterans.
The $1.7 million campaign, created by Mullen in Wenham, Mass., is
designed to persuade adults to encourage young people to join the
military.
Research shows that while parents generally support the military,
they do not encourage their own children to join, said George Rogers,
executive vice president at Mullen.
The five ads feature military veterans like Chad Hennings, a former
NFL Dallas Cowboy who served as an officer in the US Air Force, and
Valerie Vigoda, a musician and former lieutenant in the US Army National
Guard. The ads highlight qualities such as commitment and perseverance
that these veterans have gained from the military.
“We focus on the more emotional aspects the military has to offer,”
Mr. Rogers said. “It’s a branded ingredient to a successful
life.”A 12-page insert featuring five veterans ran in Sports
Illustrated and People magazine last week and was scheduled to appear
in Time this week. Full-page ads will continue to run there and in
Newsweek until August. ( Washington Times)
US develops urban surveillance system
The Pentagon is developing an urban surveillance system that would
use computers and thousands of cameras to track, record, and analyze
the movement of every vehicle in a foreign city.
Dubbed “Combat Zones That See,” the project is designed
to help the US military protect troops and fight in cities overseas.
Police, scientists, and privacy experts say the unclassified technology
could easily be adapted to spy on Americans.
The project’s centerpiece is groundbreaking computer software
that is capable of automatically identifying vehicles by size, color,
shape and license tag, or drivers and passengers by face.
According to interviews and contracting documents, the software may
also provide instant alerts after detecting a vehicle with a license
plate on a watchlist, or search months of records to locate and compare
vehicles spotted near terrorist activities.
The project is being overseen by the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency, which is helping the Pentagon develop new technologies for
combatting terrorism and fighting wars in the 21st century. (AP)
