posted on Nov, 23 2004 @ 12:31 PM
Ominous indeed - are blogs really under Patriot Act FBI powers??.........A chilling reminder of just how far reaching and anti-American this act
really is.Judge Marrero struck down as unconstitutional on Fourth and First Amendment grounds section 505 of the Patriot Act that had greatly
increased the government's capacity to secretly get large amounts of personal information by sending out National Security Letters, which do not
require a judge's approval.
This thing started way back while the nation was distracted by the images of Saddam Hussein's spider hole and
dental exam, President George W. Bush quietly signed into law a new bill that gives the FBI increased surveillance powers and dramatically expands the
reach of the USA Patriot Act.The Intelligence Autorization Act, for Fiscal Year 2004 grants the FBI unprecedented power to obtain records from
financial institutions without requiring permission from a judge.Under the law,the FBI does not need to seek a court order to access such records,nor
does it need to prove just cause.
Previously, under the Patriot Act, the FBI had to submit subpoena requests to a federal judge. Intelligence agencies and the Treasury Department,
however, could obtain some financial data from banks, credit unions and other financial institutions without a court order or grand jury subpoena if
they had the approval of a senior government official.The new law (see Section 374 of the act), however, lets the FBI acquire these records through an
administrative procedure whereby an FBI field agent simply drafts a so-called national security letter stating the information is relevant to a
national security investigation.
Even after the draconian measures of the "Patriot Act",George W. Bush and company apparently think Americans are
too free and that we cannot be trusted to know what further infringements on our freedom are being planned.The Justice Department's plans for a
"Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003" were revealed only through a Department insider leaking the document to the watchdog group Center for
Public Integrity. Dick Cheney and House Speaker Dennis Hastert are the only recognizable elected or quasi-elected officials documented as having
obtained the document, which is marked "Confidential: Not for Distribution Draft Jan. 9, 2003." If introduced and passed as drafted, the Act would
cause seriouse Consequences to the Freedom of Information Act.
news.bbc.co.uk...news.bbc.co.uk..." target="_blank" class="postlink">
news....
bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3703676.stm
This is just the one of many great plans Bush seems to have in store for the people who re-ellected him as their great commander'n chief....
I wonder what they think of this new Act....
Either way "May God Bless America" & the rest of US.