Why are you only asking the Tea Party? What are there, like 12 out of 535? I can't think of any with a T next to their name.
On Feb 8, 6:41 am, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > How Will (Tea Party) Patriots Act?by John TynerJohnnyedgeHere's another story > that isn't getting a lot of attention. Sections of the PATRIOT Act are up for > renewal this month. A renewal wasintroduced in the Senateat the end of > January by Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to extend this unconstitutional legislation. > Last week, James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)introduced a renewalto much the same > effect, proving once again thatstatism is endemic to both parties. > Aquick summary of the provisionsat issue from the ACLU:Section 215: of the > Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain "any tangible thing" relevant > to a terrorism investigation, even if there is no showing that the "thing" > pertains to suspected terrorists or terrorist activities.Section 206: of the > Patriot Act, also known as "roving John Doe wiretap" provision, permits the > government to obtain intelligence surveillance orders that identify neither > the person nor the facility to be tapped.Section 6001: of the Intelligence > Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, or the so-called "Lone Wolf" > provision, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-US persons who are > not affiliated with a foreign organization. > Where is the outrage at this sweeping government power? Where are the news > stories warning us that the 4th amendment, among others, no longer has any > teeth?Where are the Tea Party activistswho screamed so loudly for a smaller > federal government, the abolition of Big Brother, and the restoration of our > rights, not to mention our dignities? There are some who are fighting the > good fight, even if in words only:[...] Laura Boatright, a tea-party > organizer in Ontario, Calif., says the act is "unconstitutional," adding, "We > can have national security in other ways, without making all the American > people relinquish their liberty."I'm suspicious of Ms. Boatright's "other > ways," but acknowledgment of the PATRIOT Act as unconstitutional is a plus in > my book. The Tea Party doesn't appear to be immune to statism and the lure of > big government, though:Ryan Hecker, a Houston lawyer and tea-party organizer, > says he believes the act has helped curb terrorism and "the movement should > remain agnostic."Right. Agnostic. Nothing to see here; things are fine just > the way they are. How did this guy get involved with a group of people that > supposedly adores the constitution and limited government? Oh, that's right. > They all simply want power and control, and trotting out the idea of the big, > bad terrorists will keep the people in fear and, more importantly, maintain > their acquiescence. The Republicans have certainly wasted no time in peddling > that fear:"The intelligence and law enforcement communities that are > responsible for preventing terrorist attacks need to know that the tools they > rely on to keep the American people safe will not be weakened or allowed to > expire," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R., Texas).And > with that, we should all be prepared for the Tea Party to betray its > constituents and all citizens after going the way of every other politician: > seduced by power, greed, and the desire for re-election to perpetuate those > aims.A House bill would extend the law without change through Dec. 8. > Republican aides say such a move is the most likely outcome to give lawmakers > more time to debate the issue.No matter, though, the executive branch is > prepared to carry on even without congressional approval:Attorney General > Eric Holder has said the Obama administration [...] plans to put many of the > safeguards in place even without passage of the law.Reprinted with permission > fromJohnnyedge. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
