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Justice Department Proud of Patriot Act Slippery Slope
frank_adrian314159 writes "Yahoo News is reporting that the DoJ has been using its increased powers under the US PATRIOT Act to pursue common criminals. DoJ Officials have been holding seminars on how to use increased wiretap powers against (non-terrorist) money launderers and drug dealers. One example in the article is the guy running a meth lab who's now up for a life sentence for 'manufacturing chemical weapons' instead of the much shorter sentence he would have been facing under the current drug laws. Wonderful, huh? Who didn't see this coming? Of course, you're a law-abiding citizen, so you have nothing to worry about, right?" Patriot Act II will allow any Federal agent to demand records from anyone who interacts with you, with no judicial oversight whatsoever.
Wouldn't it be easier to just remember not to vote for anybody with a "D" or an "R" next to their name?
Exactly! I mean, look at the latest fabrication of the Republicans. They're claiming that a hurricane of all things is going to strike the east coast of America. Ask them exactly when or where, and they'll give you some malarky about how unpredictable the weather is. Looks like those new laws haven't done much if they can't predict where the "hurricane" will hit.
Even better, they're warning people to both cover their windows with plywood AND to evacuate their homes. The notion that you can make a house air tight with plywood is ridiculous enough, but it does little good if the people aren't even there!
Face it, the Republicans have trumped up this "hurricane Isobel" nonsense to spread fear and panic to the masses. Luckily, you all have us Democrats to tell you about this farce. Take it from us, the best thing you could do, even if a hurricane were to magically hit, is to stay _home_. In the event of an actual hurricane, the roads will be needed for rescue crews and linemen to repair the electrical and telecommunications infrastructure. That's what the roads are there for, after all. Even if your neighbor is in trouble, don't go to help! Call 911 and let the authorities handle the situation, because after all, who's going to be better trained for these situations, you or an impartial team of workers hired and trained to be able to prioritize these things properly?