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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 13, 2004 Petitioners ask commission to oppose Patriot Act By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A petition signed by 474 local residents urged Jackson County commissioners Wednesday to take a stand against the Patriot Act. "We think the Patriot Act is a dangerous act," said Medford resident Dagoberto Morales, who is a representative of the farm workers advocacy group UNETE. It was the second time in two weeks that residents opposed to the act approached the commissioners. Last week the Citizens for Peace and Justice asked the county to pass a resolution in opposition to the act, which has been criticized as limiting civil liberties. Almost 250 municipalities and counties throughout the country as well as three states have passed resolutions in opposition of the act. Advertisement New York City, site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, also formally condemned the law earlier this year. Locally, Ashland and Talent have passed resolutions. Citizens for Peace and Justice approached Jackson County commissioners last year hoping to get a resolution passed. Commissioner Jack Walker said he didn’t oppose immigration, but did think the country needs to do more to control the number of illegal aliens. "Those are the ones who flew planes into the World Trade Center," he said. Walker said that considering what happened to this country, "abnormal" means are sometimes required to prevent further attacks. Commissioner Dave Gilmour responded, "What Jack says about using ‘abnormal’ means frightens me." Citing the recent images of prisoners in Iraq being mistreated by American soldiers, Gilmour said the Patriot Act is another example of putting too much power into the hands of a few people. "It’s an abominable use of power by our central government," he said. Medford resident Damon Neal warned that Congress has passed other laws in the past that have been since ruled unconstitutional. "This may be one of those laws," he said. Ashland resident Don Ellsworth, who thought people were overreacting to the act, said, "I am a patriot and I support the Patriot Act." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers