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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (25457)	7/3/2005 10:17:47 AM
From: Rarebird	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 362104

>>I am ashamed that we have made a mockery of our Bill of Rights by allowing the newly reauthorized and expanded "PATRIOT" ACT to give our government near-absolute authority to define dissent as terrorism.<< On June 6, in a closed-door session, a Senate Intelligence Committee approved a bill. If Congress and the President agree (and the President certainly will), this bill will dramatically expand the FBI's powers under the Patriot Act to issue secret administrative subpoenas for an unprecedented range of personal records without having to go to a judge. The FBI will then write its own subpoenas, just as British customs officials in the colonies did before the American Revolution when they used general search warrants (writs of assistance) to go into homes and offices at will. Here are the most controversial provisions of the Patriot Act. Under Sections 215 and 505 of the act, law enforcement officials are given broad access to ANY type of record - sales, library, financial, medical etc. - without having to show probable cause of ANY crime. The Patriot Act also forbids the holders of this information, such as university librarians and college registrars, from disclosing that they have ever provided such records to federal officials. The "sneak-and-peak" provision of the Patriot Act (Section 213) allows law enforcement agencies to conduct secret searches of anyone's home or apartment - without a warrant and without even notifying the owner. Much more could be added, but this is the "surveillance state" in full flight. The genuine Police State follows as a matter of course once the surveillance state is fully established. Here is the real political reason as to why all this is happening. A June 13 USA Today poll showed that almost six in 10 Americans (59 percent) want a full or partial pullout of US troops from Iraq. In a New York Times/CBS News poll, President Bush's approval rating dropped to 42 percent while 59 percent disapproved of his handling of Iraq. President Bush is losing on his own internal front.