::: Secret Signing of Parts of Patriot II By Bush :::
::: Behind Smoke Screen Of Saddam's Capture :::

Bush signs parts of Patriot Act II into law — stealthily.

This was signed on a Saturday and only a "voice" vote was taken
so there would be no record of who voted for it and no accountability.
Read it and weep or growl or for god's sake, lets DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT
besides bitching. Any Suggestions???

[...]
On December 13, when U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein, President George W. Bush not only celebrated with his national security team, but also pulled out his pen and signed into law a bill that grants the FBI sweeping new powers
[...]

[...]
By signing the bill on the day of Hussein's capture, Bush effectively consigned a dramatic expansion of the USA Patriot Act to a mere footnote. Consequently, while most Americans watched as Hussein was probed for head lice, few were aware that the FBI had just obtained the power to probe their financial records, even if the feds don't suspect their involvement in crime or terrorism.

The Bush Administration and its Congressional allies tucked away these new executive powers in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, a legislative behemoth that funds all the intelligence activities of the federal government. The Act included a simple, yet insidious, redefinition of "financial institution," which previously referred to banks, but now includes stockbrokers, car dealerships, casinos, credit card companies, insurance agencies, jewelers, airlines, the U.S. Post Office, and any other business "whose cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, or regulatory matters."
[...]

Please read more and think about how to stop these people!

Gran
- posted by JT @ 10:50 AM |