USA PATRIOT
Yes, I am being a bit opportunistic here, and I hope more people are...it's time to use this NSA scandal to fully turn public opinion against the USA PATRIOT act.
The very name USA PATRIOT act is a lie in several ways, there is nothing patriotic about opressing US citizens, it is not Uniting and Strengthened America, we are increasingly divided as a nation due to this and other actions taken by President Bush, the tools it provides the government are in no way appropriate, and many of the powers it gives are not used to fight terrorism, but to fight political opposition to the current administration. Parts of this act could be seen as a neo-sedition act.
The president argues that the powers given to the government in the USA PATRIOT act are necessary to fight the terrorist menace, but this is clearly not the case. There is no reason why the government should need to be allowed to arrest, or even spy on, Americans without a warrant, and it absolutely terrifying that it has the power to detain them indefinitely without ever bringing them before a judge much less a jury, and without even making public that the person was detained. Bush argues that this is the only way that the government can stop terrorists. If there is adequate reason to believe that someone is a terrorist, then why not bring that adequate reasoning before a judge? If you can show probable cause, then you should have no problem getting a warrant. If the government does not have probable cause, how can it assume the power to detain that person? If they are going to arrest everone who could possibly be a terrorist, and your justification for believing that that person is a terrorist is that the person has been outspoken against the president, then a significant percentage of the politically-aware if this country would be occupying jail cells.
Many claim that the time it would take for each case to be brought before a judge in one of the courts created by FISA in the 1970s would would be too long, and would lead to a loss of important intelligence gathering time. Getting a warrant before arresting a criminal allows the criminal more time on the streets, but this does not provide reason to abandon the use of arrest warrants.
Now I am hearing claims that the Bush wiretaps are legal, authorized by USSID (U.S. Signals Intelligence Directive.) They have clearly not read that law, more on this later.
The very name USA PATRIOT act is a lie in several ways, there is nothing patriotic about opressing US citizens, it is not Uniting and Strengthened America, we are increasingly divided as a nation due to this and other actions taken by President Bush, the tools it provides the government are in no way appropriate, and many of the powers it gives are not used to fight terrorism, but to fight political opposition to the current administration. Parts of this act could be seen as a neo-sedition act.
The president argues that the powers given to the government in the USA PATRIOT act are necessary to fight the terrorist menace, but this is clearly not the case. There is no reason why the government should need to be allowed to arrest, or even spy on, Americans without a warrant, and it absolutely terrifying that it has the power to detain them indefinitely without ever bringing them before a judge much less a jury, and without even making public that the person was detained. Bush argues that this is the only way that the government can stop terrorists. If there is adequate reason to believe that someone is a terrorist, then why not bring that adequate reasoning before a judge? If you can show probable cause, then you should have no problem getting a warrant. If the government does not have probable cause, how can it assume the power to detain that person? If they are going to arrest everone who could possibly be a terrorist, and your justification for believing that that person is a terrorist is that the person has been outspoken against the president, then a significant percentage of the politically-aware if this country would be occupying jail cells.
Many claim that the time it would take for each case to be brought before a judge in one of the courts created by FISA in the 1970s would would be too long, and would lead to a loss of important intelligence gathering time. Getting a warrant before arresting a criminal allows the criminal more time on the streets, but this does not provide reason to abandon the use of arrest warrants.
Now I am hearing claims that the Bush wiretaps are legal, authorized by USSID (U.S. Signals Intelligence Directive.) They have clearly not read that law, more on this later.
posted by Mike M at 1:33 PM
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