Tag: Patriot Act

Feingold just said ‘no’

~ odd man out ~ 5 Comments

A profile in courage: Russ Feingold, the only U.S. senator to vote against the Patriot Act, back when there was overwhelming pressure from the George W. Bush administration to crush civil liberties. A profile in political expediency: Barack Obama, who last year signed into law a four-year extension of the Patriot Act.

From Raw Story:

Civil liberties advocates have condemned the [Patriot Act] because it allows authorities to conduct surveillance without identifying the person or location to be wiretapped, permits surveillance of non-U.S. persons who are not affiliated with a terrorist group, and allows law enforcement to gain access to “any tangible thing” during terrorism investigations.

Let’s not forget who stood up for us, or who sold us out.

An anniversary for scoundrels to celebrate

~ odd man out ~ 1 Comment

Samuel Johnson wrote “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Never has this adage seemed more true:

October 26 [marked] the 10th anniversary of the USA Patriot Act, the first among many bipartisan government assaults on the Bill of Rights over the past decade. It is a time to mourn our lost freedoms.

Our constitutional rights have dramatically eroded, turning the “land of the free” into the “land of the easily intimidated.” We have traded liberty for a false impression of security, and we will regret it.

President Bush originally signed the Patriot Act into law on Oct. 26, 2001, and – despite documented, recurring and ongoing abuses – President Obama has signed reauthorization bills no fewer than three times. Even though more than 400 cities and towns, plus eight states, have issued official resolutions repudiating domestic surveillance, the national security juggernaut has continued to steamroll the Constitution.
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