Ashcroft seeks sweeping powers

http://www.msnbc.com/news/632335.asp?newguid=4BD729F8B33746B1A795DE298E1FB3B3&cp\
1=1


Police measures needed to stop more attacks, he testifies

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 — The United States will remain vulnerable to
terrorist attacks unless law enforcement agencies are given a wide range of
new counterterrorism tools, including improved wiretap capabilities and
easier access to voice mail and Internet users' personal information,
Attorney General John Ashcroft told lawmakers Monday.

ASHCROFT ISSUED his warning in testifying before the House Judiciary
Committee in favor of far-reaching measures to ramp up the war on terrorism,
telling lawmakers, "Every day that passes with outdated statutes and the old
rules of engagement is a day that terrorists have a competitive advantage."

Ashcroft urged quick passage of new police powers sought by the Bush
administration, including the authority to detain aliens suspected of ties
to terrorists indefinitely and without the right to appeal. The
administration also wants wiretap evidence obtained in other countries in
violation of the Fourth Amendment to be admissible in court.

In addition, the administration is asking for secret court
authorization for wiretaps, longer jail terms for terrorists, access to
users' Internet information without a court order and authority to review
telephone voice-mail messages with only a search warrant.

Some of the measures raised red flags for Democrats and advocates of
civil liberties. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the committee's ranking
Democrat, said he and others were "deeply troubled" by the constitutional
implications.

"Past experience has taught us that today's weapon against terrorism
may be tomorrow's law against law-abiding Americans," Conyers said.

Ashcroft said he was sure the bill would pass constitutional muster.
"We are conducting this effort with a total commitment to protect the rights
and privacy of all Americans and the constitutional protections we hold
dear," he said.

COVERAGE OF HEARING RESTRICTED

After Ashcroft finished speaking, committee Democrats called civil
liberties and free-speech advocates to testify, including representatives of
the American Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way, which
have echoed some of Conyers' concerns.

But while Ashcroft's testimony was open to television cameras, the
committee's Republican staff ordered camera crews to leave, including those
of C-SPAN, the public interest network available on cable television systems
nationwide, NBC News' Mike Viqueira reported.

Print reporters and members of the general public were allowed to
remain, meaning the speakers' comments could be reported, but none of them
would be available for Americans to see or hear for themselves.

House rules state, "Whenever a hearing or meeting conducted by a
committee or subcommittee is open to the public, those proceedings shall be
open to coverage by audio and visual means," Viqueira reported.

CONGRESS SLOWS DEBATE

Both Democrats and Republicans said the issues were too important to
rush the legislation. The Judiciary Committee had planned to vote on the
legislation Tuesday, but Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said it would
take up the bill late next week to give it time to work out concerns like
those Conyers raised.

Ashcroft urged speed, however.

"I cannot say to you if we had enacted these in August, we would have
curtailed the activities in September, nor can I assure this committee that
we won't have terrorist acts in the future," he said. "But the mere fact
that we can't do everything shouldn't keep us from doing what we can do."

Domestic security is among the top issues that have leaped to the
head of a slimmed-down congressional agenda in the wake of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

"At the moment, nothing is going to get done except to try to deal
with the terrorist threat and try to be supportive of the administration
that's planning this big action," Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., told reporters.

Senate Minority Whip Don Nickles, R-Okla., said other issues, among
them Medicare and Social Security reform and President Bush's plan to
channel more funds to religious charities, would have to wait.

"Those other things can be addressed in the future when we're not
fighting both a recession and war on terrorism," Nickles said.

AIRPORTS, PLANES FOCUS OF SCRUTINY

Security in airports and airplanes has emerged as the No. 1 concern,
at least in the short term. In what is sure to be a controversial request,
the nation's pilots union will ask Congress to pass legislation to allow
pilots to be armed in the cockpit, NBC News reported Monday.

House leaders signaled over the weekend, meanwhile, that they would
enthusiastically go along with a proposal by Senate Commerce Committee
Chairman Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., to have the government take over screening
of passengers and luggage at the nation's airports.

Monday, the FAA said it was considering ordering airports and
airlines to redo criminal checks and scrutinize employment histories for
baggage handlers, food service workers and other employees who have access
to airliners, ramps, tarmacs and other secure areas.

The FAA has already begun training a corps of armed sky marshals to
fly on randomly chosen domestic flights, and it has ordered stronger cockpit
doors to keep hijackers from bursting in.

CLOSER COORDINATION

The security push comes as Americans learn about what is being
described as the nation's seriously inadequate lack of planning for
preventing or dealing with terrorist attacks.

About a third of 456 communities that responded to a fax last week
from the National League of Cities said they had no plans in place, while
about 1 in 8 was still developing a plan.

Just more than half said their terrorism response blueprints were in
place.

Larger cities appeared to be more prepared, with more than 8 in 10
towns of more than 100,000 people saying they had outlined how they would
handle a terrorist threat. Only 6 in 10 medium-sized cities and 4 in 10
small towns said they had such plans.

Some cities said they also were monitoring their water supplies more
closely and considering training in responses to biological and chemical
warfare.

Forty-eight agencies are now responsible for responding to terror
attacks in the United States, complicating efforts for a national response.
Seeking a more coordinated effort, Bush last week appointed Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Ridge to a new Cabinet-level post of homeland security czar, which
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer characterized as a role similar to that
of national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.