How "Patriotic" is the Patriot Act?
The Patriot Act is under attack again, and this time it isn’t just from spineless liberals and America-hating leftists. Members of the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform, the ACLU, and the Free Congress Foundation have formed a coalition to fight certain provisions of the Patriot Act.
The new group — Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances — will be lobbying Congress to repeal the infamous “sneak and peek” searches conducted without the property owner’s knowledge. They want to reduce prosecutors’ newfound ability to obtain people’s records from businesses and libraries (without that person‘s knowledge). And they want to modify the overly broad definition of “terrorist,” which presently includes just about anyone the government doesn’t like.
Before you dismiss this as just another bunch of tree huggers and wusses: members include Bob Barr (one of the ringleaders of the Clinton impeachment) and Grover Norquist. You can find out more about the group here.
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In the past few years Republicans have been contradicting more and more of their slogans and platitudes, but with the Terri Schiavo case they’ve completely become everything they hate. Republicans have always spoken out against:
Big Government meddling in people‘s lives;
states’ rights and local autonomy being overridden by the federal government;
activist judges;
judge-shopping.
On top of all that, Bush and his Harem (formerly known as Congress) are now using the tactics of Moslem fundamentalists and theocrats.
In medieval Moslem societies, if the government thought a private family tragedy had certain religious significance, they’d publicize the issue for a long period, totally humiliate everyone involved, and then bring down the full force of the government. Sound familiar?
This longtime tradition had pretty much died out until Moslem fundamentalists revived it in the 1970s. Boy George has had some strange bedfellows, but Moslem fundamentalists are the strangest yet.
posted by Tom Harper @ 12:17 AM
7 Comments:
So when we tree huggin' lefties said that the Patriot Act was intrusive it was because we hate America? But now that Bob Barr agrees you start to question it? Are you saying that now you hate America? Or are you admitting that sometimes we on the progressive side are right?
I just wonder why weren't you guys questioning this act two years ago?
The Patriot Act sucked from the beginning. It's too bad it takes input from conservatives before other conservatives will start listening. With the rightwing on our side maybe there's a chance they'll get rid of it or at least modify it.
I suppose you will never recognize the good things that the patriot act has done. For instance most likely the Brooklyn bridge would be blown to bits abd at the bottom of the bay without it. But through the allowances in the patriot act we were able to stop the terrorists just before that occured.
The Patriot Act served a purpose, but there are too many features that accomplish nothing except curtailing civil liberties (the 3 features I wrote about). This issue cuts across party lines, which is why I mentioned Bob Barr and Grover Norqust in my post. When we start spying on American citizens and jailing people without trial, then, as the cliche goes, "the terrorists have won."
Members of the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform, the ACLU, and the Free Congress Foundation
Hardly patriotic institutions.
I find that those against the Patriot Act just jump on some socialist ACLU bandwagon yet can not detail even 1 insance where their life has been abused by it. Their life - not some terrorist, or thug, or gang member, or illegal alien. If anyone has had such an incident that you can clearly document that has happeded to YOU, and you're not in the list of scum mentioned above, please email me!
You're right, I can't name a specific case where someone was victimized by the Patriot Act. But it's obviously more likely with sneak and peek searches of people's homes and library records. Saying this isn't a violation because you don't know of any specific cases, is like driving 90 m.p.h. down a residential street, not getting in an accident, and then saying "see, this wasn't dangerous."
Are you kidding me? Noone has been victimized by the patriot act? Part of what is so dangerous about this bill is we wouldn't necessarily know about specific people being victimized because they don't need a proper trial or sentencing. But I do know of many non-violent activists who have been under surveillance and have had their homes searched and their rights violated because they are involved in LEGAL protests and organizing. Where's the proof that without the patriot act the brooklyn bridge would be at the bottom of the bay?
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