State of the Union and Patriot Act II

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Hydroblunt, Feb 2, 2006.

  1. Doesn't this bother anyone?

    The first Patriot Act I can handle but this second one is insane. Are people really falling for this crap?

    Hitler's burning of the Reichstag is a little too reminiscent. Scary stuff.
     
  2. Summary of the Act

    "Privacy Invasions. USAPA II dramatically widens the powers of government to invade the privacy of Americans and others living here. This includes:
    Broad new authority to compel information from ISPs, friends, relatives, businesses and others, all without informing you.
    Immunity for businesses that voluntarily turn over your information to law enforcement.
    Extra punishment for use of cryptography-- no connection to terrorism needed.
    Instant police access to your credit reports upon certification that they are sought "in connection with their duties" -- again, with no connection to terrorism needed.
    Relaxed requirement of specificity for warrants for multi-use devices like PDAs and computers with telephonic capabilities.
    DNA collected from all terrorism suspects/DNA database information open to all law enforcement.
    Less judicial oversight of surveillance.
    More "End Runs" Around Limitations on Surveillance and Information Sharing. Federal, state and local officials can now freely share information, regardless of the original reason for gathering it. This includes information in your credit reports, educational records and visa records. It also includes information obtained by administrative subpoenas of any business, from your ISP to your credit card company to your grocer. It also includes DNA database information and information obtained through the secret court processes of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Much of this sharing need not have any relationship to terrorism investigation.
    Gag Orders and Increased Governmental Secrecy. The "sunshine of public review" is a key check on abuses of governmental power. But USAPA II makes it even harder for the public to evaluate what the government is doing with its broad new powers. USAPA II allows gag orders for subpoenas that force third parties to turn over information about their friends, loved ones or customers while making it unlawful for them to tell anyone except their lawyers about the subpoena. In a similar vein, the law creates broad new exceptions to the Freedom of Information Act for terrorism detainee information, prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from warning the public about environmental dangers from chemical releases and reduces the ability of judges to force the government to present its evidence in open court.
    Expanded Reach of Powers under the Control of Secret Courts. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was enacted more than 20 years ago to handle the special problem of non-criminal investigation of foreign intelligence activities in the United States. For this limited purpose, Congress established an unprecedented secret court system. USAPA expanded the reach of FISA and the secret court dramatically, and USAPA II goes even further. Under USAPA II, the secret court will be able to authorize searches of individuals with no connection to foreign governments or even terrorist organizations. It will increase the length of surveillance and decrease court oversight from the already low levels set by USAPA.
    Not Targeted to Terrorism. As with its predecessor, USAPA II contains many provisions that appear to be nothing more than an opportunistic attempt to increase governmental powers in areas unrelated to terrorism. In other areas, while terrorism is included, the provisions are not limited to terrorism-related investigations. These include government access to credit reports, sentence enhancements for using encryption, and sharing of some FISA-obtained information. "
     
  3. uh oh, more lib crap. ring the whacko bell, another demowimp lib appeaser. why don't you go back to eating bigmacs with michael moore and spitting on soldiers' graves with cindy sheehan?

    if you didn't do anything wrong, you have nothing to fear from your government. there's no evidence of any government abusing its powers. they have your best interests in mind, all of their policies are motivated solely by a selfless, altruistic desire to make you safer, happier, and richer.

    and by the way, clinton had sex with an intern.
     
  4. Sam123

    Sam123 Guest

  5. I'm trying to figure out if you're serious or not, cause if you are, I feel sorry for you.
     
  6. Ricter

    Ricter

    He's got a dry sense of humor. : )

    By the way, I think the Patriot Act II is a bit of a scam. It's an old trick: during negotiation trot out an extreme position, and suddenly the other alternatives seem more reasonable.
     
  7. I was thinking the same thing about you.

    But then I saw you left out the part about how 'The sky is falling !! The sky is falling !!' and so now I see you're just misinformed...
     
  8. Ricter

    Ricter

    Karoki, how many times you gonna use that lame counter, "the sky is falling"? Did he just make up the content of Patriot II, is that it?
     
  9. Probably but the obvious lean toward increased government power is a bit of a concern. I really like the part how they can wrongfully arrest you, detain you and you can't sue back.

    But as long as they let people leave the country, I'm cool. Hey, they might even pay for your transport.
     
    #10     Feb 6, 2006