[Peace-discussion] Last Day to Stop FEDs from Taking your DNA if Arrested for Civil Disobedience
Jim Dorenkott
jimdorenkott3@yahoo.com
Mon, 19 May 2008 12:21:23 -0700 (PDT)
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ont: inherit;'><A href=3D"http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/19/18500=
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<DIV class=3Dheading><STRONG>Last Day to Stop Feds from Taking Your DNA if =
you Commit Civil Disobedience; Public Comme</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV class=3Dauthor>by Center for Constitutional Rights <BR><EM>Monday May =
19th, 2008 11:01 AM </EM></DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=3Dsummary>
<P>Anybody who ever considers civil disobedience or appreciates those willi=
ng to do that should email their comments; this is the last day to stop thi=
s. <BR><BR>We used to be presumed innocent! </P>
<P> </P>
<P>Go here: <BR><A href=3D"http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/=
main?main=3DDocumentDetail&o=3D0900006480511b01">http://www.regulations=
.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=3DDocumentDetail&o=3D0900006480511b=
01</A> <BR><BR><BR></P></BLOCKQUOTE><!--
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<DIV class=3Darticle><BR>U.S. | Police State and Prisons <BR>Oppose a Sweep=
ing New Federal DNA Database <BR>by Center for Constitutional Rights <BR>Th=
ursday May 15th, 2008 7:03 PM <BR>Under a new plan, the government could ta=
ke your DNA and keep it on file permanently <BR>if you are arrested at a de=
monstration on federal property. Take action today to <BR>stop the governme=
nt from giving itself sweeping new powers to create DNA databases. <BR><BR>=
<BR>Please read this alert for background on the plan and immediately go he=
re and click <BR>on the yellow "Add Comments" balloon to file public commen=
ts with the government to <BR>oppose the plan. The government is only accep=
ting comments until this Monday, May <BR>19, so take action today! Go here:=
<BR><A href=3D"http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=
=3DDocumentDetail&o=3D0900006480511b01">http://www.regulations.gov/fdms=
public/component/main?main=3DDocumentDetail&o=3D0900006480511b01</A>
<BR><BR>At the end of 2005, a little-noticed provision was slipped into th=
e Violence Against <BR>Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill that provided =
the federal government with the <BR>power to collect and permanently keep D=
NA samples from anyone arrested for any crime <BR>whether or not they are c=
onvicted, any non-U.S. citizen merely detained by federal <BR>authorities f=
or any reason, and everyone in federal prison. Now the government is <BR>tr=
ying to put the DNA Fingerprint Act into practice. <BR><BR>Federal agencies=
would be required to take DNA samples from: <BR><BR>-Individuals arrested =
for the most minor of crimes, such as peaceful protestors who <BR>are demon=
strating on federal property. <BR>-Countless numbers of visitors from other=
countries who are pulled aside in airports <BR>by the Transportation Secur=
ity Administration. <BR>-Lawful immigrants seeking admission to this countr=
y, whether at the land border or <BR>in passport control at the
airport. <BR><BR>Go here for more information on the law: <BR><A href=3D"h=
ttp://www.ccrjustice.org/get-involved/action/oppose-sweeping-new-federal-dn=
a-database%21-say-no-dna-fingerprint-act%21">http://www.ccrjustice.org/get-=
involved/action/oppose-sweeping-new-federal-dna-database%21-say-no-dna-fing=
erprint-act%21</A> <BR><BR>This is a dangerous invasion of privacy. Our DNA=
is not a fingerprint ? it contains <BR>vast amounts of sensitive medical i=
nformation about us. And Congress held no <BR>hearings on this dangerous le=
gislation, even though it: <BR>-threatens the privacy of millions of Americ=
ans; <BR>-would disproportionately affect people of color; <BR>-and turns t=
he principle of "innocent until proven guilty" on its head. <BR><BR>The Jus=
tice Department recently issued proposed regulations on the implementation =
of <BR>the law and is seeking public comments. CCR will be submitting exten=
sive comments <BR>and notifying the press of this important story so
the government can't slip their <BR>plan by without the public knowing. <B=
R><BR>Congress failed to oppose this dangerous new law - it's up to us to l=
et them know <BR>that the we oppose the government collecting people's DNA,=
and that we care about <BR>our privacy. Please take action today: <BR><A h=
ref=3D"http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=3DDocument=
Detail&o=3D0900006480511b01">http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/comp=
onent/main?main=3DDocumentDetail&o=3D0900006480511b01</A>. <BR>(See the=
end of this email for suggested talking points.) <BR><BR>Sincerely, <BR><B=
R>Vincent Warren <BR>Executive Director <BR><BR>Here are some reasons to op=
pose this plan, which you can use in your comments:' <BR><BR>-Innocent peop=
le do not belong in a criminal DNA database. The underlying statute <BR>tha=
t permits this is wrong and goes against basic principles of our justice sy=
stem. <BR>-The regulations interpret the statute as broadly as possible,
giving the FBI and <BR>other federal agencies the authority to take DNA in=
far too wide a range of cases. <BR>-DNA is not a fingerprint ? it contains=
vast amounts of sensitive medical <BR>information about us. The Justice De=
partment's decision not to require destruction <BR>of the biological sample=
s once the DNA profile is uploaded to its database <BR>exacerbates the pote=
ntial for our genetic privacy to be violated and opens the door <BR>to the =
potential of familial searching. <BR>-The regulations will add a disproport=
ionate number of people of color to the <BR>database, potentially making th=
ose communities an increased target for law <BR>enforcement and further agg=
ravating the already existing racial disparities in the <BR>criminal justic=
e system. <BR>-The regulations estimate that potentially more than one mill=
ion new samples will be <BR>added to the database a year, yet the FBI's lab=
oratory is currently receiving for <BR>processing only 75,000
offender samples each year. -The requirement to collect, <BR>profile and u=
pload such a massive number of DNA samples will flood the system and <BR>cr=
eate huge backlogs, which may ultimately hinder criminal investigations, ra=
ther <BR>than help them. <BR>-The regulations contemplate federal agencies =
contracting with third parties to <BR>collect and store DNA samples. Outsou=
rcing the handling of this most sensitive <BR>information to multiple colle=
ction and storage sites will almost certainly lead to <BR>abuse, the creati=
on of "shadow databases," and error, potentially undermining public <BR>tru=
st in DNA as an effective investigational tool. <BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=3Dlink><A href=3D"http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/componen=
t/main?main=3DDocumentDetail&o=3D0900006480511b01">http://www.regulatio=
ns.gov/fdmspublic/comp...</A></DIV></DIV><!-- /TEMPLATE -->
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