FBI Abuses the Patriot Act

[2strokebloke]

I don't think any of us should be surprised when a government agency does its job shoddily. But this is just short of ridiculous. And considering it's the FBI somewhat worrisome, who knows what else they could be currently screwing up?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070309/...curity_letters

[taranaki]

The audit also concluded that the FBI for three years underreported to Congress how often it used national security letters to force businesses to turn over customer data.

Three years????

Just exactly how often do government agencies get audited?

[eversio11]

The Patriot Act abuses the Constituion, so this is not exactly surprising news.

[whttrshpunk]

Yet again we see the results of letting fear take precedence over freedom and liberty. What a sad state of affairs. I find it interesting that congress is involved in so much finger pointing. They are, after all, the ones who allowed the Patriot Act to become (and remain) American law.

[Shpyder]

Originally Posted by whttrshpunk

Yet again we see the results of letting fear take precedence over freedom and liberty.

Keith Olbermann did an excellent special on how this has happened repeatedly throughout our history with other disgraced presidents. I believe the American public is waking up to the bullshit, and these businessmen posing as our leaders will have some serious questions to answer down the line. It will take time. But mark my words, they will have to answer to America one day. You can't use your country and the rest of the world as your personal playground, and bend rules with relentless hypocrisy and not expect consequences later on. The bringing to light of the misuse of the Patriot Act, finally, is but the first step.

[YogsVR4]

I've pointed this out many times before. The Patriot Act is nothing. Its a pipsqueek little law. You want the real constitution buster, privacy invading and freedom crushing organization? Its called the IRS

Watch the congress and the president (this one and future ones) will go back and forth refinding the patiot act and focus on it while the IRS continues down its merry way with only a minor stink being raised. If the American Public can't get our act together to reign in the IRS monster, we're not going to do squat about the patriot act or anything like it.

Kill the partiot act. Feel good about yourselves. The IRS will get a good laugh out of it.

[whttrshpunk]

Until the American people realize that 90% of politicians are interested only in winning votes to further their own end, there will be no progress. The federal government grows larger and more powerful by the day and the American people grow weaker and more divided. When the day finally comes, and people begin to realize that our government has lost it's effectiveness and integrity, it will be too late.

Originally Posted by The Declaration of Independence

...That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government...

Originally Posted by The Declaration of Independence

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Note please that I do not mean this as a stab at the Bush administration, so many bandwagoneers have wasted so much time accusing this administration of every evil known to man that they've forgotten about the thousands of other people involved in the operation of our government.

I do not assert that Bush Jr. is a despot, but I do assert that those in power at every level are seeking in various ways to disarm the American people, both mentally and physically (though some do it unwittingly). I feel I must add that if you are unhappy with the current state of things, AFFECT CHANGE OR SHUT THE HECK UP. If your only objective is to whine, then you are dead weight. I think many reasonable people would agree that something needs to change. But when all of the proper channels have been exhausted, what then? Abolition? Civil war? Anarchism? God forbid it ever comes to this, but our current course leads only to disaster.

It's 2 in the morning, and I'm ranting, so I'll stop now.
[/rant]