Wow Only ONE PERSON In Congress Double Checked That Patriot Act?.....Really?.....Well I Guess I Better Buy A Hotdog, Buy Some Freedom Fries, And Buy Good Seats To The Next Yankees Game And Cancel On Throwing A Bag Of Flaming Poo Throw The White House Wind-(U.S. Government Seizes Me, And Erases My Existence From The World)
by A Stalker You Know.....Yea.... September 2, 2008
The "USA Patriot Act" titled "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001" is a sweeping Bill signed by President Bush on October 24, 2001, to "deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes."
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
A national crisis, such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, immediately encourages a 'do something' reaction in politicians of every stripe. The greater the crisis, the swifter -- and more unthinking -- the solution politicians concoct.
At such times, a herd mentality takes hold that overcomes logic and reason. Having served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives, I can attest first hand to this dangerous political phenomenon. Just six weeks after the September 11th attacks, on October 26, 2001, a panicked U.S. Congress adopted the so-called 'USA PATRIOT Act.'
The PATRIOT Act became law with great haste and secrecy. In the name of the 'war on terrorism,' Congress passed this questionable legislation giving the U.S. executive branch and its police agencies sweeping new powers that undermine the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Act (all 362 pages of it) was passed with little debate by senators and congressmen, most of whom did not, and could not even read the bill, because when the final vote was taken, no printed copies were available.
In my opinion, the Act constitutes the greatest single governmental assault on personal and financial privacy in U.S. history. Already three U.S. district courts have ruled parts of the Act to be unconstitutional.
The Act is being used for purposes that have nothing to do with fighting terrorism undefined but everything to do with unchecked police surveillance, wiretapping and secret searches of homes and offices. Fully 125 pages of this Act concern individual financial activities as well as U.S. and offshore banking and finance.
WHAT IS THE THREAT?
The PATRIOT Act permits:
* secret FBI and police searches of your home and office
* secret government wiretaps on your phone, computer and/or Internet activity
* secret investigations of your bank records, credit cards and other financial records
* secret investigations of your library and book activities
* secret examination of your medical, travel and business records.
* the freezing of funds and assets without prior notice or appeal
* the creation of secret 'watch lists' that ban those named from air and other travel
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
A national crisis, such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, immediately encourages a 'do something' reaction in politicians of every stripe. The greater the crisis, the swifter -- and more unthinking -- the solution politicians concoct.
At such times, a herd mentality takes hold that overcomes logic and reason. Having served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives, I can attest first hand to this dangerous political phenomenon. Just six weeks after the September 11th attacks, on October 26, 2001, a panicked U.S. Congress adopted the so-called 'USA PATRIOT Act.'
The PATRIOT Act became law with great haste and secrecy. In the name of the 'war on terrorism,' Congress passed this questionable legislation giving the U.S. executive branch and its police agencies sweeping new powers that undermine the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Act (all 362 pages of it) was passed with little debate by senators and congressmen, most of whom did not, and could not even read the bill, because when the final vote was taken, no printed copies were available.
In my opinion, the Act constitutes the greatest single governmental assault on personal and financial privacy in U.S. history. Already three U.S. district courts have ruled parts of the Act to be unconstitutional.
The Act is being used for purposes that have nothing to do with fighting terrorism undefined but everything to do with unchecked police surveillance, wiretapping and secret searches of homes and offices. Fully 125 pages of this Act concern individual financial activities as well as U.S. and offshore banking and finance.
WHAT IS THE THREAT?
The PATRIOT Act permits:
* secret FBI and police searches of your home and office
* secret government wiretaps on your phone, computer and/or Internet activity
* secret investigations of your bank records, credit cards and other financial records
* secret investigations of your library and book activities
* secret examination of your medical, travel and business records.
* the freezing of funds and assets without prior notice or appeal
* the creation of secret 'watch lists' that ban those named from air and other travel
by BostonBabe May 23, 2007
Wow NO ONE In Congress Double Checked That Patriot Act?.....Really?.....Well I Guess I Better Buy A Hotdog, Buy Some Freedom Fries, And Buy Good Seats To The Next Yankees Game And Cancel On Throwing A Bag Of Flaming Poo Throw The White House Wind-(U.S. Government Seizes Me, And Erases My Existence From The World)
by A Stalker You Know.....Yea.... September 2, 2008
n: A act passed by the United states congress to give the federal government a carte blanche to walk all over the constitution like it's a doormat.
Thanks to the Patriot act, the bill of rights hold about as much depth as Tori Spelling's acting skill.
by LordKOTL March 18, 2005
The "USA Patriot Act" stands for " Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism".
It is a document 342 pages in length with the first 6 pages being the index. The first line after the index is this:
SEC. 2. CONSTRUCTION; SEVERABILITY. Any provision of this Act held to be invalid or unenforceable by its terms, or as applied to any person or circumstance, shall be construed so as to give it the maximum effect permitted by law, unless such holding shall be one of utter invalidity or unenforceability, in which event such provision shall be deemed severable from this Act and shall not affect the remainder thereof or the application of such provision to other persons not similarly situated or to other, dissimilar circumstances.
(This amounts to saying that if this bill is a total crock of shit, with only one tiny detail being applicable, that shred will send you to the cooler pal!)
Like most bills which our senators and representative are "supposed" to read and understand prior to signing off, it could take a very long time to either agree or disagree with what's written. Thus we get this sort of bullshit shoved down our throats and up our asses on a continuous basis.
No doubt, this bill like many others was well intended, I hope, but has sweeping consequenses that only the best lawyers in the world will ever understand completely.
It is a document 342 pages in length with the first 6 pages being the index. The first line after the index is this:
SEC. 2. CONSTRUCTION; SEVERABILITY. Any provision of this Act held to be invalid or unenforceable by its terms, or as applied to any person or circumstance, shall be construed so as to give it the maximum effect permitted by law, unless such holding shall be one of utter invalidity or unenforceability, in which event such provision shall be deemed severable from this Act and shall not affect the remainder thereof or the application of such provision to other persons not similarly situated or to other, dissimilar circumstances.
(This amounts to saying that if this bill is a total crock of shit, with only one tiny detail being applicable, that shred will send you to the cooler pal!)
Like most bills which our senators and representative are "supposed" to read and understand prior to signing off, it could take a very long time to either agree or disagree with what's written. Thus we get this sort of bullshit shoved down our throats and up our asses on a continuous basis.
No doubt, this bill like many others was well intended, I hope, but has sweeping consequenses that only the best lawyers in the world will ever understand completely.
Hey Clyde! Watch out buddy, you just farted on US soil, you may be prosecutable under the USA Patriot Act!
by Ibinfarteen July 3, 2004
The legislation that was put into effect in the most immediate haste following September the 11th 2001. The bill gives the law and the federal government almost unlimited power over you. The Patriot act is also known as the raping of the Constitution.
Violates the Fourth Amendment, which says the government cannot conduct a search without obtaining a warrant and showing probable cause to believe that the person has committed or will commit a crime.
Violates the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech by prohibiting the recipients of search orders from telling others about those orders, even where there is no real need for secrecy.
Violates the First Amendment by effectively authorizing the FBI to launch investigations of American citizens in part for exercising their freedom of speech.
Violates the Fourth Amendment by failing to provide notice - even after the fact - to persons whose privacy has been compromised. Notice is also a key element of due process, which is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.
Records searches. It expands the government's ability to look at records on an individual's activity being held by a third parties. (Section 215)
Secret searches. It expands the government's ability to search private property without notice to the owner. (Section 213)
Intelligence searches. It expands a narrow exception to the Fourth Amendment that had been created for the collection of foreign intelligence information (Section 218).
"Trap and trace" searches. It expands another Fourth Amendment exception for spying that collects "addressing" information about the origin and destination of communications, as opposed to the content (Section 214).
Violates the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech by prohibiting the recipients of search orders from telling others about those orders, even where there is no real need for secrecy.
Violates the First Amendment by effectively authorizing the FBI to launch investigations of American citizens in part for exercising their freedom of speech.
Violates the Fourth Amendment by failing to provide notice - even after the fact - to persons whose privacy has been compromised. Notice is also a key element of due process, which is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.
Records searches. It expands the government's ability to look at records on an individual's activity being held by a third parties. (Section 215)
Secret searches. It expands the government's ability to search private property without notice to the owner. (Section 213)
Intelligence searches. It expands a narrow exception to the Fourth Amendment that had been created for the collection of foreign intelligence information (Section 218).
"Trap and trace" searches. It expands another Fourth Amendment exception for spying that collects "addressing" information about the origin and destination of communications, as opposed to the content (Section 214).
by ryan gilr0y October 1, 2004
A kneejerk response to word9/11/word that has the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves. The single greatest advancement of fascism in United States history, and it's only the beginning...
by Ninja Disaster July 2, 2003