Patriot Act still deeply flawed

[struggle4progress]

Jennifer Lawless: Patriot Act still deeply flawed
01:00 AM EST on Saturday, March 25, 2006

<snip> Let's begin with the gag-order "improvement." Under the original Patriot Act, federal investigators could access private business and library records, and the people required to turn over those records -- such as librarians -- were prohibited from informing anyone about the search. The new version allegedly "protects" civil liberties, because it lets the recipients of some of these court-issued search orders challenge the nondisclosure requirement in court.

What supporters of the Patriot Act don't mention is that the new act still includes a one-year "gag" order. In other words, anyone forced by the government to turn over Americans' private records must wait a full year before challenging the order. As a result, people whose privacy has been violated will not know about it until it is too late. Are we to believe this is a protection of civil liberties? <snip>

Are we to believe this is a protection of civil liberties? And we certainly can't ignore the "sneak-and-peek" provision that lets the government conduct secret searches of Americans' homes. Not only can investigators enter our homes and offices, take pictures, and seize items; they can also do so without informing us that a warrant has been issued. Are we to believe this is a protection of civil liberties? <snip>


Jennifer Lawless, an assistant professor of political science and public policy at Brown University, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island's Second Congressional District seat.

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20060325_25law.688336a.html

[Savannah Progressive]

1. Just for the record, who voted for the PATRIOT ACT.

I am just listing the Democrats, those who voted FOR this abomination. These Senators, our Senators, Democratic Senators voted FOR this violation of our civil rights.

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Clinton (D-NY)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)

I was hoping that someone will one day tell me how these 40 Senators are serving our nation, our party, and our ideals by doing this to us.

[rodeodance]

2. Good, this author is running for office.

Jennifer Lawless, an assistant professor of political science and public policy at Brown University, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island's Second Congressional District seat.

[rodeodance]

3. this article is good, Shows that the 'deal' was a deal to gut civil liber

ities!

[ixion]

4. the unPATRIOTic Act is unconstitutional

and should be repealed immediately.

:patriot: