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By David A. Sargent
The Lewiston Sun Journal
LEWISTON, Maine — Despite concerns about possible erosion of citizen rights, three panelists in a discussion about terrorism, homeland security and civil rights agreed Wednesday night that Americans are safer today.
The panelists addressed issues of heightened surveillance and investigation following the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They said we now live in “an age of prevention” that is extremely complex but necessary.
Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, voiced concern that the Patriot Act following 9/11 has placed new potential for secret searches and seizures of business records in the executive branch of government. She said its “trust us” requirement raises chances of abuse.
Broadening powers under the Patriot Act only leads to “making the haystack bigger in that effort to find a needle,” she said.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap spoke about some of the contradictory results of the national government’s push for Real ID - a federal law imposing security standards for driver’s licenses and state ID cards.
The state driver’s license requirements are “a patchwork of standards,” Dunlap said, describing Real ID as “closing the empty barn door.”
Warren Bamford, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston field office, explained basic methods of information-gathering by the FBI and emphasized that much of the information obtained through controversial National Security Letters actually establish the innocence of people in question rather than building evidence of guilt.
Bellows cited statistics of tens of thousands of NSLs being issued, while only a small number of convictions resulted. Bamford said that’s a good sign, because most of the NSLs serve to “prove a negative.”
“We have to follow the trail,” Bamford said. He said FBI agents have to make a determination that they have investigated every avenue, and he asked, “Where would you have me stop?”
Dana Little, an Auburn resident, said he favored the concept of Real ID and he had no objection to tightened security measures that might result in an investigation.
Bamford said most citizens feel that post-9/11 security is for their benefit.
Another questioner wanted to know if the Patriot Act could have prevented 9/11 if it had been in place before the terrorist act.
Bamford said no, it probably could not have done that. He pointed out increased complexity resulting from the major shift of FBI emphasis from working on crimes that had already happened to working to prevent crimes.
A crowd of several dozen attended the Harward Center for Community Partnerships Civic Forum presentation, “Maine in a Transnational World.”
The panel discussion took place in the Edmund S. Muskie Archives on the Bates College campus.
Copyright 2008 Sun Journal