Cato Daily Dispatch for September 25, 2001
Unanimous House Agrees To Pay U.N. DuesAshcroft Asks Congress For Greater Police Powers
Napster Close To Relaunching
Unanimous House Agrees To Pay U.N. Dues
The House of Representatives yesterday unanimously approved legislation that would provide $582 million to pay back dues to the United Nations, a reflection of how the political landscape has been altered by the terrorist attacks two weeks ago, according to The Washington Post.
For months, conservatives such as House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) had blocked the payment of U.N. arrears, but those lawmakers abandoned their opposition in light of the strikes in New York and Washington.
The Cato Handbook for Congress recommends that Congress refuse to ratify or fund the proposed International Criminal Court, withhold all payments to the United Nations until it undergoes a comprehensive audit and eliminate all programs and agencies that do not meet stringent criteria in terms of mission, organization and performance.
Ashcroft Asks Congress For Greater Police Powers
To fight the new war against terrorism, the Bush administration wants to give law enforcement electronic surveillance capabilities that currently are allowed only in espionage cases, according to The Washington Post.
Arguing that the country is under a continuing threat from terrorists equipped with technology never envisioned in existing law, Attorney General John D. Ashcroft has asked Congress for a package of measures enabling law enforcement officials to act more quickly in fast-moving cases.
But privacy advocates worry that the measures might short-circuit constitutional safeguards by, under the guise of counterterrorism, allowing broader wiretapping and surveillance powers in all criminal investigations.
As bad as the mass casualties and widespread fear were, the worst and most long lasting scar from the attacks could be an alteration of the American way of life, says Ivan Eland in "Don't Give Bin Laden Total Victory."
In "Cyber-Surveillance in the Wake of 9/11," Cato scholars Wayne Crews and Adam Thierer discuss the civil liberties implications of increased surveillance by law enforcement officials. In "What Price Security?" Senior Defense Analyst Charles Peña argues that we need to be careful about rushing to give up our liberties in exchange for security.
Napster Close To Relaunching
With the help of congressional lawmakers who oversaw copyright infringement settlement negotiations earlier this month, file-trading Napster has moved closer to a relaunch, according to Wired News.
The much-maligned file-trading company agreed to pay $26 million to the music publishers for past copyright infringement in a move that would effectively end litigation between the two parties.
Since the service shut down in July, the company has watched its 70 million registered users migrate to other free, peer-to-peer services. While the Napster brand name remains strong, there is still doubt whether users will come back to a service that no longer offers free music.
In "When Rights Collide: Principles to Guide the Intellectual Property Debate," Adam Thierer and Wayne Crews try to hammer out consensus between both sides of the intellectual property debate. They suggest agreement can be found on three points: seeking better understanding of the Constitutional clause establishing copyright, not banning new technologies or business models to solve patent or copyright problems, and removing government barriers to the marketplace's ability to protect intellectual property.
The Cato Institute and Forbes ASAP will host "The Future of Intellectual Property in the Information Age," a comprehensive look at the many issues surrounding IP law in the wake of the new economy on November 14. The scheduled keynote speaker is Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.). More information is available online.
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