The US Government has extended the time frame for the Patriot Act, which basicly gives the US governemt permision to spy and tace you without your knowing. Among other things. Opinions?
I concur and as such it should not have been extended. Unfortunately the USA has a powerful lobby of morons, call the republicans.
All of the democrats voted for it with the exception of: Russ Feingold, D Wisc... It was reaffirmed by a vote of 89-10-1 in 2006... Dissenters: Daniel Akaka, D HI Jeff Bingaman, D NM Robert Byrd, D WV Russ Feingold, D WI Thomas Harkin, D IA James Jeffords, I VT Patrick Leahy, D VT Carl Levin, D MI Patty Murray, D WA Ron Wyden, D OR Note that the big cats like Kennedy, Kerry, Hillary, Obama, all voted for it, most of them twice, so it's not just "those crazy Repubs..." Also the stuff I've read says the house rejected a measure that would extend the three big provisions of the Patriot Act.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 06345.html As it stands its set to expire the 28th of Feb...
Yet agin the American goverment is to afriad of its people. I fear that America will soon turn out to be just like egypt with diffrent actions of course. Sorry for bad english im french.
I hate to flame, but this topic is full of simplifications and assumptions. Now I can't disagree with or completely disprove your points, but it's a lot more complicated than it seems. More importantly, this alone does not define America or its government, especially not its "fear" of its own people. And to say that it can, in any event, end up like Egypt (at least in the foreseeable future) is simply radical and implausible.
The issue in America is that both of the big parties are fundamentally liberal. In most countries you have liberals, conservatives, some from of Marxist and a few other fringe parties, but in America the Democrats and the Republicans are both essentially of the same ideology. That's why both parties are fundamentally always fighting for the same things, just using slightly different means to obtain them. For the record, this just went through today, and will be on Obama's desk shortly http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/17/ ... /?hpt=Sbin the three key provisions that are being extended are as follows: 1) Roving wiretap surveillance of targets who try to thwart Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) surveillance Note, this isn't the warrant wireless tapping that was implemented during the earlier iterations of the PATRIOT act. 2) FBI to apply to the FISA court to issue orders granting the government access to any tangible items in foreign intelligence, international terrorism and clandestine intelligence cases. 3) Closes a loophole that could allow individual terrorists not affiliated with specific organizations to slip through the cracks of FISA surveillance All in all not really that inflammatory or intrusive imo. The major critiques of the act (warrant wireless tapping, and the whole ability to check and document your library usage) have long since been removed due to public scrutiny and issues of constitutionality. I will however note, that the right to warrant wireless tapping was originally deemed constitutional in a supreme court case Olmstead v US and the opinions make in interesting read for anyone interested in legal philosophy
I agree. Most people make too generalized comments using media that just wants to sell stories, rather then give facts. The Patriot Act is nothing new. America's 2nd President John Adams OK'ed the Alien and Sedition Acts which were much worse. Though the Patriot Act is wrong we need to find a better way.
