PATRIOT v. Missionaries

While Congress continues its consideration of renewing the USA PATRIOT Act, including the various controversial provisions calling for the search of library records (Section 215) and unfettered access into education records (including those in private institutions), I thought it might be a wise idea to return to the resolution passed by the ASWC Senate in Fall 2003. A revised, more education-centric resolution also followed to pass in the Faculty Senate, effectively becoming policy of the college.

My favorite parts, and perhaps the ones that have turned out to be most historically relevant, pertain to the unwarranted search of student records and the bit about 'compelling and urging the administration' to actively break U.S. law when necessary:

THAT the ASWC Senate urges federal authorities not to subject any individual in the custody of the Walla Walla Police Department, who may be placed in federal custody, to military detention, secret detention, secret immigration proceedings, or detention without access to counsel; and

THAT the ASWC Senate urges the Whitman College administration to provide notice to all individuals whose education records have been obtained by law enforcement agents pursuant to Section 507 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Disclosure of Educational Records).

You can find the whole dern thing over at the ol' ACLU website, as I believe the motion was originally composed and sponsored by the Whitman Civil Liberties Union.

So keep one eye on your beer and one eye on the Senate as it considers the House's (very) subtle changes to the USA PATRIOT Act, especially that omnipotence-enabling Section 215.