|
The Thomas Jefferson Discussion Group
of Orlando, Florida
Meeting No. 7 - November 20, 2001
Chapters Bookstore, Orlando, Florida
THIS MONTH'S TOPIC: CIVIL LIBERTIES vs. SECURITY
Would Thomas Jefferson support suspending parts of the Constitution (e.g., the right to due process) in the wake of an extraordinary event such as the September 11th terrorist attacks?
Would his position be different while he was president, compared to when he was an ordinary citizen?
If he would support restricted civil liberties, what would be his justification?
Historical examples of our government restricting the people's constitutional rights:
(Source: New York Times, November 11, 2001)
- July 6, 1798: The Alien Enemy Act permitted the deportation of "alien enemy males
of 14 years and upwards" without due process in anticipation of war with France.
- April 27, 1861: Writ of habeas corpus suspended during the civil war.
- May 22, 1918: The Entry and Departure Controls Act allows the president to "control the departure and entry in times of war or national emergency" of any noncitizen "whose presence was deened contrary to public safety."
- February 19, 1942: President Roosevelt signed an executive order banning from "military areas" all persons "deemed necessary or desirable" to exclude from those areas. This was used to place more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps during WWII.
- September 22, 1950: Law passed that forbid members of the Communist Party from holding "any nonelective office or employment under the United States," or from engaging "in any employment in any defense facility."
- October 4, 1973: Call for President Nixon¹s impeachment in response to his violating
the right of political dissent by establishing "a personal secret police which committed crimes" and interference in the trial of Daniel Ellsberg.
- October 25, 1978: Act passed authorizing electronic eavesdropping and wiretapping in
the collection of "foreign intelligence" information.
- April 24, 1996: Act passed in the wake of the World Trade Center bombing that established membership in a terrorist organization as grounds for denying a noncitizen entry into the United States. Also permitted the deportation of illegal immigrants and probable cause suspension of immigration offenses.
|
|
