July 23, 2005
Kissing the 4th Amendment Goodbye
"Congress will vote to renew and possibly expand PATRIOT today, tomorrow or early next week. ...
If Congress renews or expands Section 215, as they seem intent on doing, you can kiss the 4th Amendment good-bye . . . What two World Wars and a Civil War could not accomplish, al-Qaeda and the cowardly leadership of George Bush will.
This is probably a good time to remind people what Section 215 gives the government the power to do:
>for example:
Order any person or entity to turn over "any tangible things," so long as the FBI specifies that the order is part of an authorized terrorism or intelligence investigation.
Obtain personal data, including medical records, without any specific facts connecting those records to a foreign terrorist.
Prohibit doctors and insurance companies from disclosing to their patients that their medical records have been seized by the government.
more [Whiskey Bar]
~And if there's any doubt...
New York Police begin random searches of commuters' bags
"...in the aftermath of a second set of London bombings and planned to extend the practice to buses, airport trains and suburban commuter lines.
Riders on the nation's largest subway system waited patiently while officers at various stations around the city combed through their briefcases and knapsacks on the first day of what Mayor Michael Bloomberg said would be a practice that would go on indefinitely.
[larger image via norulak/ NOT Whiskey Bar]
