Speaking Of Civil Liberties Worth Fighting For (that's if you can tear yourselves away from Egypt

[Dover]

and Tunisia's revolutions), there is this little thing going on right here at home.
Will we just let it pass?


Did you hear that the Patriot Act is up for reauthorization? No?
Well, perhaps the US intelligence services (and their lapdogs the MSM) can still keep a secret.

President George W. Bush signed the PATRIOT Act into law on October 26, 2001. Nearly a decade later, some of its the most noxious provisions have burrowed their way deep into our legal system.

A year ago, President Obama signed a bill extending three provisions of the original Patriot Act. Last week Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Michigan), Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, introduced another extension of those provisions, triggering what's sure to be a bipartisan effort to continue to deny Americans their civil liberties.

The bill starts with so-called "roving wiretaps" that allow the government to spy on a nebulous array of individuals and devices, without specifying any of them ahead of time. The FBI could, with a single search warrant, raid every house or office that an individual suspect has visited over an entire year -- every single place, whether or not the residents themselves are suspects.

Then there's the eerily-named "lone wolf" provision, which lets the government apply the full power of the special courts created to deal with foreign spies against anyone who the government alleges is "preparing to attack." ... cont'd

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-segal/who-knew-patriot-act-up-f_b_809457.html



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Do you still believe that the poor Dems had the Patriot Act forced upon them against their will?


Senator Leahy Introduces Bill To Extend Problematic Sections Of Patriot Act

January 26, 2011

WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) today introduced legislation to reauthorize three objectionable sections of the Patriot Act that are due to expire on February 28. The bill also takes positive steps to amend one of the expiring sections, Section 215 or the “library records” provision, as well as the controversial national security letter provision, which is not up for reauthorization.

The provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire next month are the John Doe roving wiretap provision, which allows law enforcement to conduct surveillance without identifying the person or location to be wiretapped; Section 215, or the “library records” provision, which allows the government to gain access to “any tangible thing” during investigations; and the “lone wolf” provision, which permits surveillance of “non-US” persons who are not affiliated with a terrorist group. All three provisions lack proper and fundamental privacy safeguards...cont'd

http://www.aclu.org/national-security/senator-leahy-introduces-bill-extend-problematic-sections-patriot-act



Need more information?

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act

ACLU on the Patriot Act
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/usa-patriot-act

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Never mind all the other issues we have in common with Egypt and Tunisia =

Class divide, unemployment, questionable elections, media control, corruption, etc.

[sabrina 1]

1. Thanks, I just rec'd this and it was unrec'd. I guess we have some

anti-civil liberties people here, or are they just trying to hide the unbelievable information that Sen. Leahy who used to speak out so eloquently about civil liberties, appears to have been captured by the same aliens that transformed Candidate Obama into the person he has now become, a person who is gathering more an more support from prominent Republicans.

This is truly despicable. What is wrong with Leahy? Was he just acting also when the Bush gang were in power?

You are right about us having a lot in common with Egypt, I pointed that out earlier.

[FreakinDJ]

8. You can imagine their looking at Egypt saying "Holy Shit maybe we're next"

this thing is going to pass without a whisper of discontent from corrupt lawmakers

[Gravel Democrat]

10. "Was he just acting also when the Bush gang were in power?"

yup

They know that most people (that even pay attention, which excludes some 80%) will forgive and forget, it's much more important to side with their gang.

Divide and Conquer. It works.

[Dover]

13. We'll see how much attention this 'little' loss of liberties gets...

Perhaps it's just not interesting or dramatic enough to get off the couch for.

[sabrina 1]

14. Love your sigline

Yes, I guess we were all fooled. I noticed that since Dems took over all the hearings on torture (Leahy) and the firing of the US Attorneys seem to have gone away. No more subpoenas for Rove. We were doing better in that department when Dems were in the minority. No wonder they all came to nothing. It was just political theater after all, to keep up the illusion of a two party system. I have learned a lot over the past four years.

[RegieRocker]

11. I am not surprised at all at some of the reactions here.

[Le Taz Hot]

2. K & R

I haven't finished reading it but I perk up when I hear anything about that abomination The Patriot Act (Newspeak, anyone?).

[rosesaylavee]

3. K R

[Hannah Bell]

4. kr.

[cordelia]

5. K&R

[Jeffersons Ghost]

6. K&R

[OneGrassRoot]

7. K&R n/t

[scarletwoman]

9. K&R. It's what the Ruling Class does best, the whole world over - limit freedom for the People. (nt)

[RainDog]

12. k and r n/t