Group refuses to use anti-terrorist watch list
The American Civil Liberties Union has withdrawn from a federal donation program, refusing to follow U.S. Patriot Act rules requiring use of a government anti-terrorism watch list to check employees' names, a spokeswoman said. The ACLU stands to lose about $500,000 by pulling out of the Combined Federal Campaign, which allows federal employees to donate to various nonprofit organizations through payroll deductions, ACLU spokeswoman Emily Whitfield said Saturday. In 2003, the ACLU received $470,000 in such contributions.
ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero, in a letter to CFC Director Mara Patermaster, said Attorney General "John Ashcroft and this administration have created a climate of fear and intimidation that undermines the health and well-being of this nation." Using the watch lists, developed under the U.S. Patriot Act, is one requirement of continued program participation. The Patriot Act -- which expires in 2005 -- was passed into law in the weeks after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It strengthened government legal powers to conduct investigations and detain terrorists people.
Supporters of the law have said the Patriot Act has been a valuable tool in anti-terrorism efforts. The ACLU, a legal organization that works to defend individual Constitutional rights, has long opposed the U.S. Patriot Act. In his letter, Romero said, "We will act not only on our behalf, but on behalf of our nation's nonprofits, to defend ourselves against John Ashcroft and a government that tramples on the Constitution in the name of national security."
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