--- Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 11:22:06 -0800 From: "Jordan" <editorat_private> To: declanat_private Hello Declan, On the off chance that your listees might be potential editorial contributors to our '03 debut issue dealing with "Civil Liberties and Criminal Defense," may I paste in our call for contributions? Let me know if there's something you might like to contribute as well. Best, Jordan Dear Friends of the Constitution! We very much share your concerns about the shredding of the Constitution and the increasingly unfortunate nature of the diminishment of civil liberties (and criminal defense) under the guise of the war against terrorism. —How on earth have we reached a point at which two American citizens can be held incommunicado without right to an attorney? Or the right to know the evidence against them? —How is that an American attorney (Lynne Stewart) is facing 40 years in prison for "providing material support to terrorists," by merely defending the interests of her client, who is in prison, and with whom all her conversations have been monitored by the Dept. of Justice? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE? —Are the lower courts often defending the Constitution, while the higher courts are more often siding with the Justice Dept (as legal writer Jennifer Van Bergen found in an article published in CriminalDefense Weekly and truthout.org)? —What prevents the "terrorist" provisions of the PATRIOT and/or Homeland Security Act(s) from rolling over (eventually) to random criminal felons? Just as California's "three strikes" legislation was voted in as strict punishment against three "serious and violent felonies," but later prosecutors were making the third strike merely a "serious" felony, opting at times to make wobblers like shoplifting the third strike—just as we saw that kind of abuse on the government side, what would stop federal officials from taking advantage of these anti-terrorist provisions and applying similar methods and punishments to American felons? Is there a feature article, a how-to, or an op-ed column you would like to write for our "Civil Liberties and Criminal Defense" forum due out January 15? Please consider this and let me know. Deadline for receipt is Friday, Jan. 3. Best, Jordan Jordan Elgrably, Editor CriminalDefense.com Publishers of CriminalDefense Weekly (1st & 15th of the month) and CriminalDefense Review (Quarterly digest of CriminalDefense Weekly) "Crime, Punishment and the Constitution" 818/461-0937 ph. 818/461-0939 fx. editorat_private 12400 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 378 Studio City, CA 91604 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q\clan -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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