MORE PATRIOT ACT BULLSHIT 
Bush is digging this country an early grave...
"This week, a Senate committee in secret session approved new Patriot Act provisions that are nothing less than an end-run around the Constitution. The proposed new government powers would allow the FBI to issue search orders without prior judicial approval and to seize personal records from medical facilities, libraries, hotels, gun dealers, banks and other businesses without any specific suspicion of criminal activity, or any specific facts connecting the records sought to an agent of a foreign government.
The Bush Administration wants the Patriot Act made permanent, it wants even more power, and it doesn't want Congress to ask any more meddlesome questions about the Bill of Rights. The Bush Administration has also stated that the PATRIOT Act has not been abused, and therefore there is no need for any amendments. The Administration's argument is deeply flawed.
First, the PATRIOT Act has been abused. For example, the travel records of almost 300,000 visitors to Las Vegas were obtained by the FBI over the 2003-2004 holidays, despite the lack of any specific intelligence targeting Las Vegas or linking any particular visitor to terrorism. These records were reportedly obtained through the use of a broadened national security letter provision that allows the seizure of such records.
Second, the potential for future abuse is certainly a valid reason for strengthening oversight of intrusive powers regardless of whether the powers have already resulted in abuses. The Founding Fathers did not wait for the new federal government to abuse its powers before passing the Bill of Rights.
Third, because the provisions of the PATRIOT Act that supporters of the SAFE Act propose to amend involve secret surveillance powers, it is hardly surprising that publicly-available information about the use (and possible misuse or abuse) of those powers is scarce, and in some cases, classified and contain gag provisions preventing the target of certain demands from informing anyone about them.
Fourth, the lack of important information about the use of the PATRIOT Act has been seriously exacerbated by an unusually secretive Administration. Administration officials have been repeatedly rebuked by members of Congress for failing to provide complete and timely answers to basic questions about its use of the PATRIOT Act.
Fifth, in areas in which the Administration's civil liberties record is not or is no longer cloaked in secrecy such as, for example, its abuse (and, in some cases, torture) of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison or its haphazard treatment of domestic immigration detainees after September 11 there have been serious, documented abuses.
Finally, there is no doubt that the PATRIOT Act has certainly been overused for cases not involving terrorism as a matter of Justice Department policy.
The full Congress could debate and vote on the Patriot Act as early as the end of this month. Without exaggeration, the stakes have never been higher for civil liberties in America."
___________________________________________________
**Here's an outline of the PATRIOT ACT for those who are unfamiliar with it:
UNDER THIS SWEEPING LEGISLATION THE GOVERNMENT CAN...
1. SEARCH YOUR HOME AND NOT EVEN TELL YOU.
The USA PATRIOT Act expands law enforcements ability to conduct secret sneak and peek searches of your home. Investigators can enter your home or office, take pictures and seize items without informing you, for an indefinite period of time, that a warrant was issued. (SECTION 213)
2. COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT BOOKS YOU READ, WHAT YOU STUDY, YOUR PURCHASES, YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY AND YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES.
The USA PATRIOT Act gives law enforcement broad access to any types of records educational, medical, financial, sales, library, etc. without probable cause of a crime. It also prohibits the holders of this information, like librarians, from disclosing that they have produced such records, under threat of imprisonment. The court orders are issued by a secret intelligence court in Washington and judges have little power to deny applications. (SECTION 215)
3. LABEL YOU A "TERRORIST" IF YOU BELONG TO AN ACTIVIST GROUP.
The USA PATRIOT Act broadly expands the legal definition of domestic terrorism. Under the new definition, overzealous prosecutors and investigators could use more invasive investigative tools against protesters engaged in certain types of civil disobedience. (SECTIONS 411 AND 802)
4. MONITOR YOUR E-MAILS AND WATCH WHAT INTERNET SITES YOU VISIT.
The USA PATRIOT Act permits the government to monitor Internet traffic and e-mail communications on any Internet service provider without probable cause by obtaining detailed routing information like a Web address. While this provision is supposedly aimed at criminals, it is far too broad because e-mails and Internet traffic information of innocent individuals cannot be separated from the activity of targeted individuals. (SECTION 216)
5. TAKE AWAY YOUR PROPERTY WITHOUT A HEARING.
The USA PATRIOT Act allows the government to seize the assets of individuals or organizations without prior notice or hearing if the government says that they have engaged in, or are planning, an act of domestic terrorism. Under this law, the government could effectively bankrupt an organization with which it disagrees. (SECTION 806)
6. SPY ON INNOCENT AMERICANS.
The USA PATRIOT Act permits a vast array of information gathered on U.S. citizens to be shared with the CIA (and other non-law enforcement officials) without proper judicial oversight or other safeguards. This law effectively puts the CIA back in the business of spying on Americans. (SECTIONS 204 AND 901)
7. PUT IMMIGRANTS IN JAIL INDEFINITELY.
The USA PATRIOT Act permits indefinite incarceration of immigrants and other non-citizens without the government having to show that they are, in fact, terrorists. (SECTION 412)
8. WIRETAP YOU UNDER A WARRANT THAT DOESNT EVEN HAVE YOUR NAME ON IT.
The USA PATRIOT Act changes the nature of warrants for wiretaps by requiring judges to approve a wiretap without knowing who is to be tapped or where it is to be placed. (SECTION 216)
**For more information, go to:
THE PATRIOT ACT
FUCK BUSH!!!
Bush is digging this country an early grave...
"This week, a Senate committee in secret session approved new Patriot Act provisions that are nothing less than an end-run around the Constitution. The proposed new government powers would allow the FBI to issue search orders without prior judicial approval and to seize personal records from medical facilities, libraries, hotels, gun dealers, banks and other businesses without any specific suspicion of criminal activity, or any specific facts connecting the records sought to an agent of a foreign government.
The Bush Administration wants the Patriot Act made permanent, it wants even more power, and it doesn't want Congress to ask any more meddlesome questions about the Bill of Rights. The Bush Administration has also stated that the PATRIOT Act has not been abused, and therefore there is no need for any amendments. The Administration's argument is deeply flawed.
First, the PATRIOT Act has been abused. For example, the travel records of almost 300,000 visitors to Las Vegas were obtained by the FBI over the 2003-2004 holidays, despite the lack of any specific intelligence targeting Las Vegas or linking any particular visitor to terrorism. These records were reportedly obtained through the use of a broadened national security letter provision that allows the seizure of such records.
Second, the potential for future abuse is certainly a valid reason for strengthening oversight of intrusive powers regardless of whether the powers have already resulted in abuses. The Founding Fathers did not wait for the new federal government to abuse its powers before passing the Bill of Rights.
Third, because the provisions of the PATRIOT Act that supporters of the SAFE Act propose to amend involve secret surveillance powers, it is hardly surprising that publicly-available information about the use (and possible misuse or abuse) of those powers is scarce, and in some cases, classified and contain gag provisions preventing the target of certain demands from informing anyone about them.
Fourth, the lack of important information about the use of the PATRIOT Act has been seriously exacerbated by an unusually secretive Administration. Administration officials have been repeatedly rebuked by members of Congress for failing to provide complete and timely answers to basic questions about its use of the PATRIOT Act.
Fifth, in areas in which the Administration's civil liberties record is not or is no longer cloaked in secrecy such as, for example, its abuse (and, in some cases, torture) of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison or its haphazard treatment of domestic immigration detainees after September 11 there have been serious, documented abuses.
Finally, there is no doubt that the PATRIOT Act has certainly been overused for cases not involving terrorism as a matter of Justice Department policy.
The full Congress could debate and vote on the Patriot Act as early as the end of this month. Without exaggeration, the stakes have never been higher for civil liberties in America."
___________________________________________________
**Here's an outline of the PATRIOT ACT for those who are unfamiliar with it:
UNDER THIS SWEEPING LEGISLATION THE GOVERNMENT CAN...
1. SEARCH YOUR HOME AND NOT EVEN TELL YOU.
The USA PATRIOT Act expands law enforcements ability to conduct secret sneak and peek searches of your home. Investigators can enter your home or office, take pictures and seize items without informing you, for an indefinite period of time, that a warrant was issued. (SECTION 213)
2. COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT BOOKS YOU READ, WHAT YOU STUDY, YOUR PURCHASES, YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY AND YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES.
The USA PATRIOT Act gives law enforcement broad access to any types of records educational, medical, financial, sales, library, etc. without probable cause of a crime. It also prohibits the holders of this information, like librarians, from disclosing that they have produced such records, under threat of imprisonment. The court orders are issued by a secret intelligence court in Washington and judges have little power to deny applications. (SECTION 215)
3. LABEL YOU A "TERRORIST" IF YOU BELONG TO AN ACTIVIST GROUP.
The USA PATRIOT Act broadly expands the legal definition of domestic terrorism. Under the new definition, overzealous prosecutors and investigators could use more invasive investigative tools against protesters engaged in certain types of civil disobedience. (SECTIONS 411 AND 802)
4. MONITOR YOUR E-MAILS AND WATCH WHAT INTERNET SITES YOU VISIT.
The USA PATRIOT Act permits the government to monitor Internet traffic and e-mail communications on any Internet service provider without probable cause by obtaining detailed routing information like a Web address. While this provision is supposedly aimed at criminals, it is far too broad because e-mails and Internet traffic information of innocent individuals cannot be separated from the activity of targeted individuals. (SECTION 216)
5. TAKE AWAY YOUR PROPERTY WITHOUT A HEARING.
The USA PATRIOT Act allows the government to seize the assets of individuals or organizations without prior notice or hearing if the government says that they have engaged in, or are planning, an act of domestic terrorism. Under this law, the government could effectively bankrupt an organization with which it disagrees. (SECTION 806)
6. SPY ON INNOCENT AMERICANS.
The USA PATRIOT Act permits a vast array of information gathered on U.S. citizens to be shared with the CIA (and other non-law enforcement officials) without proper judicial oversight or other safeguards. This law effectively puts the CIA back in the business of spying on Americans. (SECTIONS 204 AND 901)
7. PUT IMMIGRANTS IN JAIL INDEFINITELY.
The USA PATRIOT Act permits indefinite incarceration of immigrants and other non-citizens without the government having to show that they are, in fact, terrorists. (SECTION 412)
8. WIRETAP YOU UNDER A WARRANT THAT DOESNT EVEN HAVE YOUR NAME ON IT.
The USA PATRIOT Act changes the nature of warrants for wiretaps by requiring judges to approve a wiretap without knowing who is to be tapped or where it is to be placed. (SECTION 216)
**For more information, go to:
THE PATRIOT ACT
FUCK BUSH!!!
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
When you're up against evil genuises like Rove, though, it's going to be tough, anyway. They've actually somehow made it more fashionable for young people to support the GOP than the Dems. More enrolled college students voted Republican than Democrat during the last election. HOw did this happen? American Indians are even supporting right-wing tickets. I can't believe it. (did you hear about Russel Means ( http://www.russellmeans.com/index.htm )supporting John Thune in So. Dakota? ( http://indianz.com/News/archives/003613.asp ) What the fuck is that about? I saw him in the airport and asked/confronted him about it. He wouldn't talk to me.)
I mean, Americans gave them Congress and they gave these scumbags four more years and now they basically will lock up the Supreme Court with Nazis like Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia-- lifelong appointments. We're fucked for a long time, and we gave it away ourselves!
Thanks for the chat. Have a good weekend.
~IMTO