Dear Council Member Levin,
As a constituent who lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, I am writing you in support of Intro. 371.
This is a critical bill with concerns to women's health – particularly poor women's health.
This bill protects pregnancy service centers and ensures that women in New York City know what services they will and will not get if they visit a Crisis Pregnancy Center.
We object to those deceptive elements which endanger the health and well-being of any person, and community.
Council Member Levin, I hope that, as a great representative, you will support Intro. 371.
Thank you!
--
Robert Schmaltz
Brooklyn, NY 11222
twitter•rlschmaltz
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Senator Charles Schumer: Patriot Act – Sections 215, 206, 6001
January 28, 2011
Senator Charles Schumer
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Schumer,
There's more evidence than ever that Patriot Act abuse is a real and present danger. Our national security suffers as large sums from our nation's defense budget are investing in vague broad brush strategies. On February 25, 2010, Congress passed a one-year extension of three expiring Patriot Act provisions without making much-needed changes to the overly broad surveillance bill.
The Department of Justice have issued multiple reports documenting widespread FBI abuses of the National Security Letter provision of the Patriot Act. The FBI has used this provision to obtain sensitive information on people not suspected of any wrongdoing who are often two or three times removed from an actual suspect.
Three provisions of the Patriot Act are expiring at the end of February, but so far no bill has been introduced to rein in the documented abuses of the National Security Letter provision. Now is the time to reform the Patriot Act. All three should be allowed to expire if they are not amended to include privacy protections to protect personal information from government overreach.
• Section 215 of the Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation, even if there is no showing that the "thing" pertains to suspected terrorists or terrorist activities. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require the government to show reasonable suspicion or probable cause before undertaking an investigation that infringes upon a person's privacy. Congress must ensure that things collected with this power have a meaningful nexus to suspected terrorist activity or it should be allowed to expire.
•Section 206 of the Patriot Act, also known as "roving John Doe wiretap" provision, permits the government to obtain intelligence surveillance orders that identify neither the person nor the facility to be tapped. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require government to state with particularity what it seeks to search or seize. Section 206 should be amended to mirror similar and longstanding criminal laws that permit roving wiretaps, but require the naming of a specific target. Otherwise, it should expire.
• Section 6001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, or the so-called "Lone Wolf" provision, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-US persons who are not affiliated with a foreign organization. Such an authorization, granted only in secret courts is subject to abuse and threatens our longtime understandings of the limits of the government's investigatory powers within the borders of the United States. This provision has never been used and should be allowed to expire outright.
Other portions of the Patriot Act are in dire need of reform, most notably those relating to the issuance and use of national security letters (NSLs). NSLs permit the government to obtain the communication, financial and credit records of anyone deemed relevant to a terrorism investigation even if that person is not suspected of unlawful behavior. Numerous Department of Justice Inspector General reports have confirmed that tens of thousands of these letters are issued every year and they are used to collect information on people two and three times removed from a terrorism suspect. NSLs also come with a nondisclosure requirement that precludes a court from determining whether the gag is necessary to protect national security. The NSL provisions should be amended so that they collect information only on suspected terrorists and the gag should be modified to permit meaningful court review for those who wish to challenge nondisclosure orders.
I respectfully request that you promote Patriot Act reform. It's past time for our government to stop violating the rights of everyday people who have nothing to do with terrorism, and develop a more sophisticated strategy for increasing our nation's security.
Thank you kindly,
Robert L Schmaltz
I–NY
Senator Charles Schumer
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Schumer,
There's more evidence than ever that Patriot Act abuse is a real and present danger. Our national security suffers as large sums from our nation's defense budget are investing in vague broad brush strategies. On February 25, 2010, Congress passed a one-year extension of three expiring Patriot Act provisions without making much-needed changes to the overly broad surveillance bill.
The Department of Justice have issued multiple reports documenting widespread FBI abuses of the National Security Letter provision of the Patriot Act. The FBI has used this provision to obtain sensitive information on people not suspected of any wrongdoing who are often two or three times removed from an actual suspect.
Three provisions of the Patriot Act are expiring at the end of February, but so far no bill has been introduced to rein in the documented abuses of the National Security Letter provision. Now is the time to reform the Patriot Act. All three should be allowed to expire if they are not amended to include privacy protections to protect personal information from government overreach.
• Section 215 of the Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation, even if there is no showing that the "thing" pertains to suspected terrorists or terrorist activities. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require the government to show reasonable suspicion or probable cause before undertaking an investigation that infringes upon a person's privacy. Congress must ensure that things collected with this power have a meaningful nexus to suspected terrorist activity or it should be allowed to expire.
•Section 206 of the Patriot Act, also known as "roving John Doe wiretap" provision, permits the government to obtain intelligence surveillance orders that identify neither the person nor the facility to be tapped. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require government to state with particularity what it seeks to search or seize. Section 206 should be amended to mirror similar and longstanding criminal laws that permit roving wiretaps, but require the naming of a specific target. Otherwise, it should expire.
• Section 6001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, or the so-called "Lone Wolf" provision, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-US persons who are not affiliated with a foreign organization. Such an authorization, granted only in secret courts is subject to abuse and threatens our longtime understandings of the limits of the government's investigatory powers within the borders of the United States. This provision has never been used and should be allowed to expire outright.
Other portions of the Patriot Act are in dire need of reform, most notably those relating to the issuance and use of national security letters (NSLs). NSLs permit the government to obtain the communication, financial and credit records of anyone deemed relevant to a terrorism investigation even if that person is not suspected of unlawful behavior. Numerous Department of Justice Inspector General reports have confirmed that tens of thousands of these letters are issued every year and they are used to collect information on people two and three times removed from a terrorism suspect. NSLs also come with a nondisclosure requirement that precludes a court from determining whether the gag is necessary to protect national security. The NSL provisions should be amended so that they collect information only on suspected terrorists and the gag should be modified to permit meaningful court review for those who wish to challenge nondisclosure orders.
I respectfully request that you promote Patriot Act reform. It's past time for our government to stop violating the rights of everyday people who have nothing to do with terrorism, and develop a more sophisticated strategy for increasing our nation's security.
Thank you kindly,
Robert L Schmaltz
I–NY
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