Las Vegas Sun
November 2, 2005
by Associated Press

The Silver City Town Council voted 3-0 on Tuesday to condemn sections of the federal Patriot Act.

The council's action was requested by American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada representatives Laura Mijanovich and Bob Tregilus, who urged council members to affirm the Bill of Rights and oppose any provisions of the Patriot Act that violate peoples' civil rights.

Nearly 400 local governments, including Elko County and the cities of Elko and Sparks, had previously passed resolutions asking that the Patriot Act be revised to conform to the U.S. Constitution.

"Silver City has now formally joined this unprecedented national grassroots effort to protect Americans from federal intrusion and abuse authorized under the Patriot Act," Mijanovich said Wednesday.

Among other things, the resolution opposes government efforts to collect information about a person's library lending or research records, or book and video store purchases.

Also forbidden are ethnic profiling or gathering information about a person's political, religious or social views.

Enacted by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the Patriot Act gives law enforcement broader powers to investigate terrorism