The Cellar - Patriot Act: We are so F****D

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Patriot Act: We are so F****D

From here

Quote:

Bush administration officials compare national security letters to grand jury subpoenas, which are also based on "relevance" to an inquiry. There are differences. Grand juries tend to have a narrower focus because they investigate past conduct, not the speculative threat of unknown future attacks. Recipients of grand jury subpoenas are generally free to discuss the subpoenas publicly. And there are strict limits on sharing grand jury information with government agencies.

Data Banks

The burgeoning use of national security letters coincides with an unannounced decision to deposit all the information they yield into government data banks - and to share those private records widely, in the federal government and beyond. In late 2003, the Bush administration reversed a long-standing policy requiring agents to destroy their files on innocent American citizens, companies and residents when investigations closed. Late last month, President Bush signed Executive Order 13388, expanding access to those files for "state, local and tribal" governments and for "appropriate private sector entities," which are not defined.

There was another story, which I saw earlier today and can't find, about the use of Patriot Act provisions to investigate money laundering at a strip club. The article was from AP but appears to have disappeared.

I found another link to a different article on the strip club.

But Rich, they're only using these new rules to catch bad people doing bad things.
We honest, church going, law abiding taxpayers have nothing to fear from the government. :rollanim:

Yeah, right. Actually, I fear this sort of thing more than most of the stuff this administration has come up with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

But Rich, they're only using these new rules to catch bad people doing bad things.
We honest, church going, law abiding taxpayers have nothing to fear from the government. :rollanim:

I was looking for the Bruce's :lol: of the day :thumb:

At least this time around they're issuing actual written invitations to The Inquisition.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

But Rich, they're only using these new rules to catch bad people doing bad things.
We honest, church going, law abiding taxpayers have nothing to fear from the government. :rollanim:

You forgot to insert the word "Christian" between "abiding" and "taxpayers".

Hm. I don't know what your collective problem is. So long as you do as you're told--NO PROBLEM! It's when you start thinking for yourselves that things go wrong. Didn't Principal Skinner have an "Independant Thought" button he could push in times of turmoil? Run along, now. Nothing to see.

PS--when in doubt, which is often, I identify myself as a member of the Most Radical Extreme Capital-Punishment Backing Christians for Christ. It seems to work. Esp. in Cincinnati.

The irony is that, if Jesus were here now, I'd totally date him.

And it's all Cheney's fault. :mad:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brianna

The irony is that, if Jesus were here now, I'd totally date him.

I won't throw the first stone.

Compare and contrast the Patriot Act with France's response and notice how much stronger France's response is:

Quote:

The lower house of France's parliament has approved plans to extend special powers by three months to try to bring a wave of urban rioting under control.
...
The state of emergency laws, allowing local authorities to impose curfews, conduct house-to-house searches and ban public gatherings, date from the Algerian war of independence in the 1950s.

President Jacques Chirac told cabinet ministers the extraordinary powers are "strictly temporary and will only be applied where they are strictly necessary".

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the Patriot Act was a permanent law; France's emergency measures are only temporary. Stuff like what Rich posted make me want to go out and acquire as many unregistered weapons as possible to use in the up-coming and much needed overthrow of the US government.

The Patriot Act sunsets on December 31st of this year if not extended.

IIRC (and I may not), that's only true of some of the clauses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

The Patriot Act sunsets on December 31st of this year if not extended.

Whatcha wanna bet that they extend it? When has a government ever willingly given up power?

Did you ask those questions of the French?