Welcome

If you are concerned about the impact of the USA PATRIOT Act upon civil liberties AND you live in Ewing Township, there is a citizens group doing something about it. The group is the Ewing Citizens for Civil Liberties (ECCL).

Update: New Site for ECCL and other Mercer County, NJ Civil Liberties Activists

As of late July 2004, we started a new site to encompass wider range of efforts in Central New Jersey. The new site is ProtectYourRightsNJ.org <www.protectyourrightsnj.org>. ECCL has become a part of the Mercer County Citizens for Civil Liberties (MCCCL).

The ECCL site here will remain mainly for archival information. Go to the ProtectYourRightsNJ.org site for current information.

J.D. Abolins jabolins@meydaonline.com
25 July 2004

I also learned that almost all segments of a community can come together to make common cause to preserve our constitutionally guaranteed liberties when endangered by foreign or domestic fanatics. That gives me some hope as we move into the politically charged times of a national election.

John Bing in a recent letter to the Trenton Times concerning the Ewing Resolution.

More Info on the USA PATRIOT Act and Related Matters

Full Name of the Act: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001 [H.R.3162; 107th Congress]

• USA PATRIOT Act
  as passed by Congress (PDF 419 Kb; HTML version)
• ACLU
• ACLU - NJ Chapter
• Bill of Rights Defense Committee
• NJ Bill of Rights Defenders
• Center for Constitutional Rights
• Rutherford Institute
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act of 2003 (S1709)
  A bill to amend the USA PATRIOT ACT to address major liberties problems.
  
  ACTION NOTE: SAFE might get vetoed. Send free faxes of support. Here's how....

General News & Articles

These are my personal picks for insights into the cultural and social ripples from problematic approaches to security. The all too often poor approaches undermine liberties while providing little security. - J.D. Abolins

• Two More Jersey Towns pass Pro-Civil Liberties Resolutions Ewing and Mullica Councils Approve Unanimously
  By passing the resolutions, Ewing and Mullica Townships have become the fourth and fifth New Jersey communities - following Willingboro, Princeton and Highland Park Borough - to pass a resolution in reaction to the federal government's controversial USA PATRIOT Act. (ACLU News Release 11 Feb 2004)
  
  
• New York City Becomes 250th to Join Call to Keep America Safe and Free
  “The city of New York—perhaps more than any city in America--is keenly aware of why we are engaged in a war on terror, and this resolution reminds us of our commitment to the very freedoms we seek to protect,” said Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. (From the ACLU News Release 4 Feb 2004)
  
  
• ACLU-NJ Applauds Highland Park Borough Council for its Unanimous Vote in Support of Pro-Civil Liberties Resolution
  By passing this resolution, Highland Park Borough has become the third New Jersey community – following Willingboro and Princeton Borough – to pass a resolution in reaction to the federal government’s controversial USA PATRIOT Act. (ACLU-NJ News Release 4 Feb 2004)
  
  
• Slouching Towards Big Brother
  Bruce Schneier, an info security expert, gives an excellent overview of the current "Big Brother" trends and how they don't provide the security they promise. (Also see his recent essays IDs and the Illusion of Security and Terror Profiles by Computers Are Ineffective.)
  
  
• The President Is Wrong: The USA Patriot Act Should Be Terminated
  "During Bush’s State of the Union speech, he emphasized that a key role of our government was to protect us from foreign terrorists. However, if the Bush Administration continues to advocate such measures as the Patriot Act, then an important question is raised: Who will protect us from our own government?" (John W. Whitehead; The Rutherford Institute 26 Jan 2004)
  
  

More in the ECCL Reading Room