This scares the shit out of me that this new bill has this kind of power. The very infringement on personal freedoms I have been warning you are coming.
In the old days, we used to complain about INS that they have too much
power, such as searching your home no warrant needed. Now a day with
Patriot Act, it’s worst. They can strip you off in the public in any day.
Listen to this message and compare. Just FYI.
----- Original Message -----
On April 23, 2003, Secret Service agents visited Oakland High and
interrogated two 16 year-old male students in connection with comments
they had allegedly made during a classroom discussion concerning
President Bush and the U.S. Government’s role in Iraq.
The Secret Service was called the day before because the teacher felt the
students’ statements could be interpreted as threats to the President.
The students were each subjected to intimidating interrogation for 45
minutes to an hour each and were told they had no rights because of what
they had supposedly said. When one of the students asked if he had to
talk to the agents now, could he talk to them later with a lawyer
present, the student said one of the agents told him, “We own you, if you
don’t talk to us now, and we find out you haven’t told us everything,
we’ll put you MF’s in federal prison. This is the beginning of the end
for you.” The students were asked all kinds of questions about their home
life as well as things like, “Are you a terrorist?” And their families -
Mien & Vietnamese - were threatened with deportation if the students
didn’t cooperate. All of this was in the presence of the principal, who
made no attempt to contact parents or advise students of their right to
remain silent or seek legal counsel.
We deplore this blatant infrigement of students’ free speech & academic
freedom.
Students have a right to discuss their opinions on any subject without
the fear of reprisal or threats of arrest from law enforcement. We will
not allow the atmosphere of repression against dissent and immigrants to
pervade our schools and community.
The city of Oakland, along with 92 other cities in the country, has
passed a resolution against the Patriot Act. Be it resolved that in the
spirit of that resolution and in opposition to the atmosphere of
repression against dissent, we call for any file related to this event to
be stricken from students’ records. We further call on the OEA to support
these students in the spirit of academic freedom and upholding their
human and civil rights. And we call on the school district to honor the
rights of students at all times, including the right to remain silent, to
have parental representation, and to have legal counsel.
Larry Felson & Cassie Lopez,
OEA reps, Oakland High