ISO Presents Homeland Security Lecture

Author: Daniel Barker

The consequences of "Desert Storm II" and America's ongoing fight against terrorism were brought to the domestic front last week through faculty, student and community discussion during the International Students' Organization (ISO) annual forum titled "Homeland Security and Civil Liberties in the United States."
Spearheaded by ISO Co-chairs Fahim Ahmed '03 and Wonchan Park '04, the forum kicked off on Thursday with a lecture by University of Vermont Law Professor Michael A. Mello.
Having been involved with the "Unabomber" case and the Vermont American Civil Liberties Union, Mello drew from a vast legal background as he touched on the suppression of civil liberties during wartime and the U.S. government's labeling of recently indicted terrorists Jose Padilla, Zacarias Moussaoui and Yasser Hamdi as "unlawful enemy combatants." Mello also discussed the ever-increasing power of the Defense Department and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
"Please do not applaud me," he said to start his speech. "I'm going to say some pretty critical things about President Bush and John Ashcroft."
The proposed USA Patriot II Act formed the basis of Mello's argument against Ashcroft. Just one month after Sept. 11, the first Patriot Act passed through Congress, triggering many debates about its limiting of civil liberties among U.S. citizens through e-mail monitoring and wire taps. Mello testified in the Vermont Legislature against a proposed "mini-Patriot Act" in March 2002 but the bill has since died. He asserted that a follow-up act would "make a wide variety of crimes eligible for the death penalty."
Furthermore, Mello said the bill would give Ashcroft authority to deport and strip the citizenship of Americans who pose a threat to national security, regardless of whether they have committed a crime. "USAPA [Patriot Act II] turns U.S. citizens into aliens based on political ties or political fundraising," said Mello.
A dinner and reception followed the lecture Thursday night.
On Friday, the forum continued with a screening of "Outbreak," the 1995 film based on a virulent virus epidemic that spreads to American soil. Ahmed and Park chose the movie because of its portrayal of the military curbing civil liberties in California by quarantining neighborhoods and bombing certain areas to stop the spread of the virus.
ISO president Namik Kirlic '05 said, "Movies remind us that we have to be cautious when taking measures."
Discussion returned to the Robert A. Jones '59 House on Saturday morning with a faculty and student debate moderated by Professor of Political Science David Rosenberg. While most students were still in bed, the surrounding Middlebury community constituted a strong voice from the audience. "I was really pleased with the cross-section of people," said Ahmed.
Some of the same points discussed by Mello two days before were broached by Secretary of the College and Professor of Political Science Eric Davis, who emphasized the importance of proper classification of suspected terrorists and prisoners of war. Depending on whether an enemy capture is lawful or unlawful can impact protection under the Geneva Convention and the use of military tribunals, according to Davis.
President of the Middlebury College Democrats Ben LaBolt '03 discussed the past actions of the United States during times of war. In referring to past legislation similar to the current Patriot Acts, LaBolt said, "We make the same mistakes every time."
He cited the post-Vietnam, Operation CHAOS as an example of the U.S. government's inclination to breach certain civil liberties to monitor the actions of those opposed to the war. Systems of government tracking, "breeds suspicion among citizens," said LaBolt.
The rights of students, particularly, those who come from overseas were also discussed by LaBolt. Since Sept. 11, government access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) has increased. Thus, information that was once private, like academic records and extracurricular activities, is now monitored by the U.S. government.
Sam Rodriguez '04 tied his presentation in with LaBolt's with a discussion of the rights and privileges that should be accorded to U.S. citizens and legal aliens.
Last week's forum was the 10th of its kind organized by ISO. Past topics have dealt with the reemergence of nation-states, weapons of mass destruction and immigration adjustment. Past speakers have included U.S. ambassadors and New York Times journalists. In October, when Ahmed and Park decided on a topic for the forum, they were a little unsure of its relevance come April.
"With war in Iraq, the focus is where it should be," said Ahmed. However, as the forum and Professor Rosenberg illustrated, "We've come to learn that we can't take our civil liberties for granted."