(no subject)
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
_The Fourth Amendment, US Constitution
After all of that uproar about the Bush Administration spying on the American people, the Senate voted to renew the Patriot Act* last week by a vote of 89-10. Ron Wyden of Oregon was one of only nine Democrats to vote against the measure. The Oregonian's front page headline read, "Congress OKs landmark restrictions to fight meth." The article made scant mention of the Patriot Act renewal. The house also approved the measure, but by a much closer margin.
And now: G.O.P. Plan Would Allow Spying Without Warrants. Apparently, the plan is a compromise with the Administration, which is against congressional oversight of any kind. The compromise? After 45 days of surveillance on virtually any target, the Attorney General would then have to get a warrant, or explain to congressional subcommittees why he can't seek a warrant.
The Republican proposal would give Congressional approval to the eavesdropping program much as it was secretly authorized by Mr. Bush after the 2001 terrorist attacks, with limited notification to a handful of Congressional leaders. The N.S.A. would be permitted to intercept the international phone calls and e-mail messages of people in the United States if there was "probable cause to believe that one party to the communication is a member, affiliate, or working in support of a terrorist group or organization," according to a written summary of the proposal issued by its Republican sponsors. The finding of probable cause would not be reviewed by any court. _The NY Times
In the wake of Enron, an irresponsible economic policy, record rollbacks of environmental protections, a disastrous and seemingly endless war in Iraq, a lackadaisical reaction to Hurricane Katrina, plummeting opinion polls and a fever of Republican scandals, Bush and his cabal are still somehow able to secure a grossly unprecedented amount of power for the executive branch.
If the trends continue, the terrorists won't have to plant a single bomb on American soil. America will eat itself, and it will crap out something that none of our founding fathers would ever recognize.
*link to the ACLU site lifted from fengi's blog on the subject
_The Fourth Amendment, US Constitution
After all of that uproar about the Bush Administration spying on the American people, the Senate voted to renew the Patriot Act* last week by a vote of 89-10. Ron Wyden of Oregon was one of only nine Democrats to vote against the measure. The Oregonian's front page headline read, "Congress OKs landmark restrictions to fight meth." The article made scant mention of the Patriot Act renewal. The house also approved the measure, but by a much closer margin.
And now: G.O.P. Plan Would Allow Spying Without Warrants. Apparently, the plan is a compromise with the Administration, which is against congressional oversight of any kind. The compromise? After 45 days of surveillance on virtually any target, the Attorney General would then have to get a warrant, or explain to congressional subcommittees why he can't seek a warrant.
The Republican proposal would give Congressional approval to the eavesdropping program much as it was secretly authorized by Mr. Bush after the 2001 terrorist attacks, with limited notification to a handful of Congressional leaders. The N.S.A. would be permitted to intercept the international phone calls and e-mail messages of people in the United States if there was "probable cause to believe that one party to the communication is a member, affiliate, or working in support of a terrorist group or organization," according to a written summary of the proposal issued by its Republican sponsors. The finding of probable cause would not be reviewed by any court. _The NY Times
In the wake of Enron, an irresponsible economic policy, record rollbacks of environmental protections, a disastrous and seemingly endless war in Iraq, a lackadaisical reaction to Hurricane Katrina, plummeting opinion polls and a fever of Republican scandals, Bush and his cabal are still somehow able to secure a grossly unprecedented amount of power for the executive branch.
If the trends continue, the terrorists won't have to plant a single bomb on American soil. America will eat itself, and it will crap out something that none of our founding fathers would ever recognize.
*link to the ACLU site lifted from fengi's blog on the subject