Quote Originally Posted by TuffStuffMcGruff View Post
Are you saying that because we passed a law regulating international and border issues as they relate to the domestic security that we are now responsible for the government using the situation to make conservatives into potential terrorists?
Have a looky. Especially pay attention to Title II: Surveillance procedures.

It's a law in desperate need of amendment. What amazes me is that it authorizes "roving wiretaps," "sneak and peek" warrants, and any number of other questionable practices, and it still wasn't enough for President 43. They had to go in for warrantless wiretaps. But hey, when's the last time the government abused a power, hm?

I have some vague hope that the Dems will take time to trim back Patriot, but not a lot of hope. They're having a hard enough time just releasing the torture memos, meeting massive pushback from Congressional Repubs and the more retrograde elements of the intelligence community. I can only imagine how Repubs could demagogue the issue if Dems tried to "remove protections." The ads write themselves.

I fear that the Patriot Act is to national politics what the Rockefeller Laws are to New York politics. (That is to say, desperately in need of reform, but nobody wants to take the heat for doing so. Note that the Rockefeller Laws have survived on this basis for 36 years.)