2008 Woodie Awards
Patriot Act's controversy rekindled
Amhal Majack, TNH Reporter
Issue date: 2/27/04 Section: News
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The resurgence of the Patriot Act had a panel of diverse experts hurling opinions around as if the act had been freshly passed.
Claire Ebel was there to "scare the hell out of" the audience. Mark Zuckerman begged to differ. Leila Paje-Manalo and Eoin Reilly wanted to make a few things very clear. The audience gasped, nodded, pursed their lips and shook their heads.
A heated debate fueled the stage Tuesday night as the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs' "Understanding the Patriot Act," the first presentation of its "The More You Know" series, commenced with a lively start.
The USA Patriot Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act), enacted directly after Sept. 11, continues to be a highly controversial issue.
Many of its provisions have been said to strip people of several of the most basic civil liberties, such as privacy and the pursuit of happiness.
Four panelists, each with varying experiences with the Patriot Act, took the stage Tuesday before a group of about 35 students and faculty members in the Strafford Room of the MUB.
Each speaker began the evening by giving a brief overview of some aspect of the Patriot Act, pertaining respectively to his or her particular field.
Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Mark Zuckerman spoke about the ways in which he is able to work with the Patriot Act as a federal prosecutor for the state.
He said that though there has been some gross misuse of the Patriot Act, many of its provisions are sound.
"The Patriot Act does not throw the Bill of Rights out," he said. "It does not erode previous rights; instead, it rides on top and adopts them."
Leila Paje-Manalo, the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at UNH, dealt directly with the National Electronic Database System, which is a specific provision to further the monitoring of international students.
Claire Ebel was there to "scare the hell out of" the audience. Mark Zuckerman begged to differ. Leila Paje-Manalo and Eoin Reilly wanted to make a few things very clear. The audience gasped, nodded, pursed their lips and shook their heads.
A heated debate fueled the stage Tuesday night as the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs' "Understanding the Patriot Act," the first presentation of its "The More You Know" series, commenced with a lively start.
The USA Patriot Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act), enacted directly after Sept. 11, continues to be a highly controversial issue.
Many of its provisions have been said to strip people of several of the most basic civil liberties, such as privacy and the pursuit of happiness.
Four panelists, each with varying experiences with the Patriot Act, took the stage Tuesday before a group of about 35 students and faculty members in the Strafford Room of the MUB.
Each speaker began the evening by giving a brief overview of some aspect of the Patriot Act, pertaining respectively to his or her particular field.
Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Mark Zuckerman spoke about the ways in which he is able to work with the Patriot Act as a federal prosecutor for the state.
He said that though there has been some gross misuse of the Patriot Act, many of its provisions are sound.
"The Patriot Act does not throw the Bill of Rights out," he said. "It does not erode previous rights; instead, it rides on top and adopts them."
Leila Paje-Manalo, the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at UNH, dealt directly with the National Electronic Database System, which is a specific provision to further the monitoring of international students.
