[Article] Patriot Act, Part Deux

dahamsta

As if the Patriot Act wasn't bad enough. The administration has already denied the existance of Patriot Act II, then said that it was just a draft with a different name, but it seems it's back with a bang now. I want to go to ApacheCon in November, I couldn't possibly with this kind of bizarre antics going on.

adam

Patriot Act, Part II

The Bush administration has been on a campaign to shore up support for the Patriot Act and argue for an expanded version, which is being dubbed Patriot Act II. This public-relations offensive comes, however, at a time when a growing number of Americans are saying the original act already gives government too much power. Faced with these reasoned objections, the administration is becoming more shrill. Last week, Attorney General John Ashcroft named librarians as the latest group to pose a threat to freedom. Rather than lash out at well-intentioned critics, the administration should listen to the thoughtful voices from across the political spectrum who are saying we need less Patriot Act, not more.

President Bush spoke out last week in favor of a three-point plan for expanding the law. Patriot Act II would give the government broad powers to seize documents and force testimony without a court order, expand use of the death penalty and make it harder to be released on bail. None of these tools are necessary to fight terrorism, and each threatens to infringe on the civil liberties of Americans.

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bloggs

Most of the aspects of this Act will be used against foreigners, but the only people who can block it are the american people through their respective congressman.

The Beer Baron

WAR IS PEACE
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
AMERICA IS STRONGEST

Coming to Fox this Fall, from the same people who brought you the War on Terror,
The War on Literacy.
The War on Reason.
And, The War Against Nature (to protect our homeland from future hurricane attacks).

sovtek

In school we were taught that this was what life was like for Soviet citizens. :rolleyes:

The PATRIOT Act already makes it legal for deportation of any non-citizen that has supported a group that has ever used terrorist means.
That means that if you supported the ANC that you could be taken into custody (in secret), detained indefinetly (in a secret location) and deported at will.
Being that my wife is a South African citizen, oh and protested against Apartheid, means that I'll never go back there until this peice of trash is ruled un-Constitutional (as it obviously is).
It's the first step to an authoritarian government.

sovtek

Originally posted by bloggs
Most of the aspects of this Act will be used against foreigners, but the only people who can block it are the american people through their respective congressman.

Being that my congress"man" is Kay Bailey Hutchinson and just voted for the new bill to escalate nuclear development and testing (and then emailed all the signatories to a petition against it, telling us how good it was )... bids ill for that tactic in the short term.

The Beer Baron

In school we were taught that this was what life was like for Soviet citizens.

I'm an American! I wish to defect!