Lawrence residents concerned about the USA Patriot Act can hear from the source Friday.
Viet Dinh, co-author of the Patriot Act and former U.S. assistant attorney general for legal policy, will speak during a forum on terrorism sponsored by the Kansas University School of Law.
"Every year there's more and more to talk about," law professor David Gottlieb said of the act. "We haven't hit the top yet."
In April the Lawrence City Commission approved a resolution condemning the act, a federal anti-terrorism law passed in the wake of the 9-11 attacks.
In doing so, Lawrence became the first community in Kansas to go on the record in opposition to the act, which critics say infringes on civil liberties.
At least 300 other communities and four state legislatures across the United States also have expressed opposition to the act, which expands the powers of federal law enforcement authorities, allowing broader wiretapping authority and access to records of patrons of libraries, bookstores and other businesses.
Supporters of the act say broader law enforcement powers are needed to fight terrorism.
Dinh's appearance is part of "The New Normal: The Law and the War on Terror Three Years After September 11," a conference Friday and Saturday.
Dinh, now a law professor at Georgetown University in Washington, will be part of a panel discussion on the Bush administration's response to international terrorism, scheduled from 3:10 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday in Room 104 of Green Hall.
He'll also present a lecture on the Patriot Act at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Dole Institute of Politics.
The conference continues Saturday with a series of discussions on terrorism from 1 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. at the Dole Institute.
Dinh served under U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft from May 2001 to May 2003. He is best known for writing the Patriot Act.
"We want to provide the opportunity for people to discuss the issues," Gottlieb said. "We're going to hear fairly widely contrasting perspectives on what's been going on."
| Friday3 p.m. -- Welcome3:10 p.m.-4 p.m. -- The Bush Administration's Response to International Terrorism, with Viet Dinh, Georgetown University law professor, and David Gottlieb, Kansas University law professor, Room 104 Green Hall.4:10 p.m.-5 p.m. -- Lessons from Abroad: Responses in Turkey and Western Europe to Global Terrorism, with Feridun Yenisey of the University of Bahcesehir in Istanbul, Turkey, Room 104 Green Hall.7:30 p.m. -- Lecture on the impact of the Patriot Act by Dinh, Dole Institute of Politics.Saturday1 p.m.-1:50 p.m. -- The Supreme Court and the War on Terror, with Steve McAllister, dean of the School of Law, and Jean Phillips, law professor, Dole Institute.2 p.m.-2:50 p.m. -- The War on Terror on the Domestic Front and Overview of the Patriot Act, with Phillips, Dole Institute.3 p.m.-3:50 p.m. -- The Crime of "Material Support of Terrorism," with Tom Stacy, KU law professor, Dole Institute. |
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