I'm sure much of what was said during last Thursday's press conference by the Nevada Campaign to Defeat the Patriot Act vilified President Bush's much-criticized law. Most of the speakers, part of a quirky union of PA opponents statewide—lefties, righties, moderates, thespians and others—were barely audible over the din of autos and the occasional ambulance scooting to and fro on Las Vegas Boulevard during lunchtime.
There was Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, leading off: "We have a broad spectrum … [vroom] serious concerns … [honk] Patriot Act has lots of provisions that were passed … a lot of scrutiny."
And Paul Brown, president of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada: "… has had a chilling effect … [vroom] … FBI gives CIA …"
James Tate of the Coalition to Prevent the Erosion of Human Rights: "… most dangerous act that's ever been passed in history … military junta running the country … McCarthy era pales in comparison."
District 3 Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce: "… ... [vroom]."
Mark Warden of the Nevada Republican Liberty Caucus: "Oh, how times have changed …the government is no longer all about protecting the people … the Patriot Act is a far greater threat to your freedoms than any terrorist organization."
Official from the Mexican American Political Party: "… [honk] … united in opposition … Latinos … [vroom]."
Not quite the start the campaign had hoped for—and hopefully not a harbinger of things to come. The conference started on the steps of the Lloyd George Federal Courthouse but ended up on the sidewalk—organizers didn't have a permit. Two security officers, gun holstered, scanned the sidewalk assembly, one jotting notes as the speakers strode before the cameras. "Just trying to see what's going on," he said.
One of three held simultaneously throughout the state, the presser marked Nevada's entry into the anti-PA movement. In recent weeks, the Act reared its privacy-eroding head in Vegas: The FBI used the act to snoop on strip-club owner Michael Galardi's political-corruption case and a bank asked homeowners' association board members to reveal their Social Security numbers to check for terrorist links. In a bit of PA-busting, the Las Vegas-Clark-County Library District enacting a policy to delete patron records at the end of each business day. When the feds want to snoop on your literary predilections, they won't get much. Call it defiance by compliance. More than 200 communities in 25 states have gone on record opposing the act.
Queried on the long odds—the GOP controls Capitol Hill, and Bush isn't likely to repeal a law he backed—participants didn't exactly express rousing optimism.
The ACLU's Lichtenstein: "It's encouraging (the support the movement has). We think that some parts can be repealed."
PLAN's Brown: "Momentum is on our side."
ACLU Executive Director Gary Peck: "We can go to municipalities and get them to adopt ordinances that say we will not enforce provisions of the Patriot Act that we do not agree with."
UNLV Political Science Professor Ted Jelen thinks the anti-PA rustling has political traction, that this may not be buildup to a let down.
"Thirty years ago, I chanted, ‘Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?' I'm not sure how much effect that had, but people paid attention, they were forced to," he says. "I can think of lots of instances where grass-roots pressures have made an impact on Congress. Members of Congress have to see which way the wind is blowing in the interest of self-preservation."
Though federal law supersedes local and state law, UNLV Political Science Professor Michael Bowers says municipalities can exercise discretion in enforcing PA provisions; they can simply choose to close their eyes.
"They can refuse to arrest people or cite people," he says. "Of course, that opens the door for the feds to threaten to withhold funds. So it could be costly."