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"Those who sacrifice Liberty in the name of Security deserve neither"-Ben Franklin-
Today, The government can spy on you without a warrant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How:
The Patriot Act: passed by Congress on October 24th 2001 (HR3162)
Most Congresspeople voted for it without actually reading the bill. Also see Patriot II (HR3448)
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The Patriot Act Allows the FBI to access library records, business or Internet records, in a terrorist investigation. It also circumvents attorney client priviledge, allows for foreign nationals to be held in incommunicado (without a trial) and allows for the creation of secret military tribunals for those classified as suspected 'enemy combatants'. Currently a US citizen, Jose Padilla is being held in a military brig with no access to a trial.
Bush has recently authorized roving wiretaps that potentially affect the privacy of all Americans. Bush has cited the Patriot act as giving him the power to have the NSA engaged in domestic spying. The NSA can listen in on phone calls, track email, and anyone else 'suspected' of contacting Al Qaeda. Critics contend that the NSA tracks a wider pool of Americans then those suspected to be connected to Al Qaeda.
The issue with Democrats is how Bush can find authorization for the warrant-less searches and link it to the Patriot
Act. Also they wonder how long will the Warrant-less searches stay in effect in that the 16 most controversial portions of the Patriot Act were expected to expire on 12/31/05. The law was extended until 3/10/06 so that the Senate could reach a comprimise with Democrats and republicans. Finally, Democrats contend that the issue of warrant-less searches is in the jurisdiction of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). FISA requires a higher burden of proof for warrant-less searches then what the NSA uses.
Critics also wonder what sort of precedent this sets in regards to American civil liberties, specifically the Exclusionary clause, Titles 2 & 9 of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. In the past since the abuses of the 60's and 70's the CIA and the NSA were forbidden to engage in domestic espionage. Now in the wake of 9/11/01 that has all changed. In my view the patriot act will set a precedent that will eventually, lead to a totalitarian state. Already certain statutes in the law allow the jailing of protesters on national security grounds. (section 802) The question on any progressive's mind is whether voter apathy and the corporate conditioned notion, that capitalism is the only thing that matters and that political ignorance is bliss, will once lead a nation of wolves to the state of lambs before the slaughter.
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Reccomended Google search terms:
GO GOOGLE
COINTELPRO, Operation Chaos, 1975-76 Church Committee, Patriot Act, roving wiretaps, NSA, 1878 Posse Comitatus law
also Check out: http://www.eff.org | 
