Bush Administration Memo Says Fourth Amendment Does Not Apply To Military Operations Within U.S.

Bush Administration Memo Says Fourth Amendment Does Not Apply To Military Operations Within U.S. (4/2/2008)

ACLU Calls For Immediate Release Of Withheld Legal Memo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 519-7829 or (646) 785-1894; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK – A newly disclosed secret memo authored by the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in March 2003 that asserts President Bush has unlimited power to order brutal interrogations of detainees also reveals a radical interpretation of the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure. The memo, declassified yesterday as the result of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit, cites a still-secret DOJ memo from 2001 that found that the "Fourth Amendment had no application to domestic military operations." Read whole story here.

Demand Accountability for Bush's Top-Down Torture Policy

The ACLU writes:

In a stunning admission to ABC news Friday night, President Bush declared that he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details of the CIA's use of torture. Bush also defended the use of waterboarding - simulated drowning where the victim feels like they are about to die.

Congress should long ago have gotten to the bottom of which top officials approved, condoned and authorized U.S. involvement in torture. But, now that the President has admitted to a policy of top-down torture, it's even more critical that Congress get involved. Take action: tell your members of Congress you demand accountability for torture now!

Click the link in the immediately preceding sentence which will take you to the ACLU web page and a letter to send to Congress.