Fairfax County, a Washington suburb, is one of the few in the area that hasn’t passed a resolution on the impact of the Patriot Act.
Alexandria, Arlington County, Takoma Park, Greenbelt, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the District have passed resolutions denouncing the Patriot Act and promising to uphold the civil liberties of residents, according to the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.
Passing the resolutions is a largely symbolic act, but 330 localities nationwide, including New York City, Baltimore and Philadelphia, have done so.
Most of the resolutions, including the one that was discussed by the Fairfax supervisors yesterday, urge congressional delegations to allow the Patriot Act to expire or to add congressional oversight to the act.
Fairfax, on which have been imposed security significant costs – with accompanying though perhaps insufficient funds, decided by a 5-3 vote to study the Patriot’s Act impact on the civil liberties of Fairfax residents. No time limit was proscribed by the resolution.