Panel discussion set for 7:30 p.m. March 25 at library.
By: Lea Kahn
Nearly three years after its adoption in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the USA Patriot Act is still being debated by those who fear it has weakened civil liberties.
Guest speaker Grayson Barber, a Princeton-based attorney who specializes in privacy issues, and a four-member panel plan to discuss the federal law at a forum at 7:30 p.m. March 25 at the Lawrence High School Library.
It is co-sponsored by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace Action and the Lawrence Chapter of the League of Women Voters.
Ms. Barber will explain the law to the audience, said Adele Vexler, co-president of the Lawrence Chapter of the League of Women Voters. Then, the panelists will speak.
The panelists include Imam Qareeb Bashir, president of the Islamic Council of Greater Trenton; Sayad Alam, who, like Mr. Bashir, lives in Lawrence; LHS librarian Judith Bebout; and Leslie Potter, the district director for U.S. Rep. Rush Holt.
Then, the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and comment on the Patriot Act.
Most of the 350-page Patriot Act was written after the bombing of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Okla., several years ago. The law sat on the shelf for several years, until the Sept. 11 terror attacks. It was adopted within six weeks of the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
"I think it’s important to have a forum so people can be informed about the Patriot Act," Ms. Vexler said. "The Patriot Act has a profound effect on our civil liberties. We need to consider national security. Our objective is to help the country balance our precious civil liberties with our need for security."
To have a fair forum, the sponsors invited representatives of numerous government agencies including the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, the state Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to take part, she said.
"To date, none have accepted," Ms. Vexler said Tuesday afternoon. "Should they decide to come, they will be included in the discussion."
In a democracy, one wants as many people as possible to participate, she said. The Patriot Act is a very important issue in this democracy, she said, adding that it is important to talk about it.