Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

In another completely underhanded and unforgivable move the US Congress has passed the Patriot Act II aka the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 which "grants the FBI sweeping new powers".

Didnt hear about this, oh sorry. It just so happens that the President signed this bill into law on Saturday December 13. Which happens to be the same day Saddam was captured, nice distraction there. Also note that Congress passed this law around Thanksgiving when no one was paying attention AND the Senate did it with a VOICE VOTE. Come on assholes (and our entire Congress has earned the moniker "assholes") at least have the balls to GO ON RECORD WITH HOW YOU VOTED!

So whats wrong with the new act? Well it further destroys the rights of citizens under the specious guise of national security. I am just as pissed as the next guy about terrorism, but there is NO REASON IN THE WORLD we cant have probable cause and then get a warrant from a judge before requiring "financial institutions" to fork over records. In the new law, the FBI need not even suspect you of a crime and they can send a "National Security Letter" to a "financial institution" and they are required to turn over you records. No judge involved, no trace that the letter was sent, no nothing. Welcome to MORE of the Gestapo.

And note that "financial institution" is quoted because the definition that was "bank" has been changed in the new law. Its now basically ANYTHING THAT ACCEPTS MONEY, which means ANY BUSINESS WHATSOEVER. It states "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'".

The main reason this is a huge problem, notwithstanding the rights that it bashes, is the MANNER in which it was secretly passed. Our government in the states is now at a point where they not only routinely lie about, but they also simply omit information about, what they are doing.

Happy New Year USA.   WITH A WHISPER, NOT A BANG