Anybody notice that in the other night's 90-MINUTE-LONG Presidential debate, nobody said a single word about the PATRIOT Act? What the hell is up with that? One of the biggest threats to our civil liberties, and nobody even mentions it? What the hell kind of choice is this? One candidate who signs into law a BLATANTLY unconstitutional bill that deliberately chips away at our rights, and another who doesn't do a damn thing about it? Jesus. I'm glad I'm not voting in this election. I don't think I could cast a ballot for either one with a clear conscience. Anyway, here are some of the things the government can now do under this law that neither candidate saw fit to discuss:

--Secret arrests without a warrant or probable cause

--Indefinite detentions without a requirement for a trial (if you're lucky, you get a secret military tribunal), without a court order, without access to an attorney, and without ever even charging you with a crime.

--"Sneak and peak" searches, where law enforcement can enter your house without a court order or probable cause, look around, confiscate any "neccessary evidence", and never inform you that they were ever there.

--Wire tapping of private homes and buisinesses without a court order.

--Reading of people's email by law enforcement without a court order.

--Unlimited access to library and book purchase records (after all, every democracy needs to watch what its citizens are reading...wouldn't want 'em to be reading any subversive material, would we?)

I can see why niether candidate thought this was important enough to bring up. Jesus tapdancing Christ.

-- Anti-bush (Comrade_bleh@hotmail.com), October 15, 2004

Answers

Can you provide the link so I can check out the wording on the patriot act? See, according to our local police dept I was told they are NOT allowed to "just go in without a search warrant and that takes time" now, if that is true whats up with all the bs surrounding the patriot act? The instance I am referring to has to do with local drug dealers who are under investigation.

thanx

-- american (just@an.observer), October 16, 2004.

I thought they talked about it briefly...I remember Kerry saying something about it needed to be revised or something?

-- I Like Pasta (alfredo@ziti.com), October 18, 2004.

That was the second debate. In the third debate they didn't say a word about it.

American,

Here's what the ACLU has to say about the PATRIOT Act.

www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=12126&c=207

Here's the actual text of the bill if you want to try to wade through it. It's like a bazillion pages long and parts of it are virtualy incomrehensible without dozens of pages of reference material. I've read most of it, but it's hard to sort out.

www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html

-- Anti-bush (Comrade_bleh@hotmail.com), October 18, 2004.

Thanks anti bush but my lawyer is $150.00 per hour so that doesnt work for me.

BTW, what is up with the Privacy Notices now given just about every docs office? I attempted to sort one of those out and couldnt either. I did however get one today which did not call for an interpeter. Says they can use my info to pass along to others.

Guess the privacy act aint so private? Says for stats and such. Right?

-- american (just@an.observer), October 18, 2004.

What happed? No1 Gives a shit thats what happend bitch. Let the rants start slut.

-- Crisis (CrisisKils@hotmial.com), October 31, 2004.