SocraticGadfly: Patriot Act sneakiness

May 19, 2011

Patriot Act sneakiness

Congressional leaders of both halves of the two-party duopoly, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner, are working to get passed a four-year extension of the Patriot Act with as little publicity as possible.
The legislation would extend three expiring provisions until June 1, 2015, officials said.

The provisions at issue allow the government to use roving wiretaps on multiple electronic devices and across multiple carriers and get court-approved access to business records relevant to terrorist investigations. The third, a "lone wolf" provision that was part of a 2004 law, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-U.S. individuals without having to show a connection between the target and a specific terrorist group.
And, of course, Herr President Obama, he of the "changiness," will immediately sign it into law.

Proof?
"Now more than ever, we need access to the crucial authorities in the Patriot Act," Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
This coming from the AG who has done a boss's butt-kissing volte face on civilian trials for people in Guantanamo and who is now siccing his Justice Department on marijuana operations in states that have legalized medical marijuana.

Is it implausible that the War on Drugs sees the use of the word "terrorist" in the near future?

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