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Dennis Kucinich on Civil Liberties and Domestic Security
Voted NO on making the PATRIOT Act permanent
USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act; Bill HR 3199 ; vote number 2005-627 on Dec 14, 2005
"We recognize that this blotch on our constitution called the Patriot Act must be repealed and I am introducing legislation to do that. That the Military Commissions Act must be repealed and I am introducing legislation to do just that."
"The Patriot Act has undermined civil rights in this country, and as the US president, one of my first acts in office would be to move forward to have the Justice Department overturn the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. We have to remember that 9/11 led us down a cul-de-sac. Americans need to reconnect with our deeper sense of self here. The courage that it took to form this country is still within us, and I want to have the 9/10 Forum to help us reconnect with a deeper sense of who we are as Americans."
2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007
Voted NO on H.R. 1955, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 which expands the Department of Homeland Security's ability to monitor and study groups inside the United States.
"I tell you who I put on a pedestal: Ben Franklin; who said that those who would give up their essential liberties to obtain a measure of security - deserve neither."
Voted NO on allowing electronic surveillance without a warrant. Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to allow the President & Attorney General to authorize electronic surveillance without a court order to acquire foreign intelligence information, after certifying that the surveillance is directed at the acquisition of communications of foreign agents.
Update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978; Bill H.R.5825 ; vote number 2006-502 on Sep 28, 2006
Voted NO on continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight. A resolution providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5020) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2007 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities. Voting YES indicates support of the current methods for intelligence-gathering used by the CIA and other agencies.
Intelligence Authorization Act; Bill HR 5020 resolution H RES 774 ; vote number 2006-108 on Apr 26, 2006
"We are called upon to defend, not only the essence of, but the letter of our constitution. And are we ready for this moment? This sacred document--this text which binds us as a nation--has been under assault in a way that is unprecedented in the history of this country. Where all of the causes that bring us together here add up to a recognition that we have an administration which has swept aside basic constitutional guarantees, and we know they must be held accountable - which is one of the reasons I introduced a resolution of impeachment. This isn't simply about the personality, this is about the constitution, because the constitution has a personality of its own. And when we talk about restoring habeas corpus we recognize that a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system has been trampled on and we must reinstate habeas corpus."
Voted YES on the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2007 which includes a provision that confines the CIA to the interrogation tactics permitted by the Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations, which bans techniques such as waterboarding.
"Torture degrades us as a people. History has shown that when torture is employed, interrogators become lazy and brutal, and many, many innocent people die or are destroyed for life. Our humanity is the first death in the process. My reasons for opposing torture are not just the clear moral prohibition, but a more practical reason: What would you do if your child was tortured -- especially if they were innocent, as so many tortured people are? Torture breeds torture and brutality. Torture is a slope no American should step onto."