cannabisnews.com: Reject Meth Bill Reject Meth Bill Posted by FoM on June 05, 2000 at 06:39:29 PT Just say No to H.R. 2987 Source: Salt Lake Tribune Just as former First Lady Nancy Reagan urged Americans to just say no to drugs, Congress should just say no to H.R. 2987, the Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act. Though ostensibly aimed at hindering the illicit meth trade, this legislative proposal is, in fact, a pernicious attack upon the civil liberties that this republic's founders so venerated that they put them in the Constitution's Bill of Rights. The problem with the Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act is that it includes provisions for such things as secret searches in which law enforcement officers can enter private homes and businesses, seize property or even copy materials from personal computers, and not bother telling the owner about it for months. In addition, the proposal allows government agents to seize property without giving its owner a list of the items taken, a radical expansion of current law which requires law enforcement personnel to give the property owner an itemized list of property seized immediately after the search. Drug use and methamphetamine production in makeshift, clandestine labs are serious problems. However, neither they nor any other government cause should be sufficient to trash the Constitution -- specifically in this case the Fourth Amendment -- and the independence and liberty of the people this nation's founders were so concerned about maintaining. The freedom of individuals to be secure in their persons, property and effects is so important that every search and seizure procedure should follow the standard the Constitution's framers laid out in the Fourth Amendment, however cumbersome authorities may feel this procedure is. The fact that the spirit of this amendment already has been assailed in the name of the drug war and the fact that many citizens have become so indolent that they accept the dilution of their liberty in the name of security makes no difference. The Constitution, not personal caprice, is the supreme law of the land. All who value freedom, all who understand and venerate the governance system this nation's founders expressly created, all who cherish the idea that government is the creature of the people, and all who value the Constitution should resist such bills as this and demand that their representatives, all of whom swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, do just that in practice and spirit. Published: June 5, 2000© Copyright 2000, The Salt Lake Tribune Related Articles:Press Release Could Be Illegal Under New Drug Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5873.shtmlDrug-Crazy http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5850.shtmlThe Anti-Meth Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5844.shtmlObscure Anti-Drug Provision Could Expand Searcheshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5831.shtmlLatest Drug War Tactic An Attack on All Americans http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5830.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by Dan Hillman on June 05, 2000 at 11:50:55 PT Biting the hand that feeds...wow! Dissent from the usually rabid drug-war-supporting SLC Tribune? Further, dissent gainst a bill authored by favorite son and elder mormon Orrin "Booby" Hatch? Hmmm...this bill could actually be in trouble. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: