Parts of the Patriot Act Ruled Unconstitutional

BlueBlade writes "According to this CBS story, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that two provisions of the USA Patriot Act are unconstitutional because they allow search warrants to be issued without a showing of probable cause."

Comments

And where will you be moving to?

[Grendel Drago]

I hear that the libertarian paradise of Somalia is lovely this time of year. If ever there were a place that respected your right to buy all sorts of fabulous weaponry, that would be it.

Re:And this took how long?

[operagost]

At least the tide seems to be turning back to status pre-September 11, 2001.

Oh, good. Maybe we'll be ready to be attacked again. This time it will be the schools.

Well, why not look around?

[WheelDweller]

Roe Vs Wade was decided for the entire population to mean "Abortion is Free" when the Constitution says nothing of the kind. And, in a long and storied history, when things aren't mentioned in the Constitution, the states get to decide for themselves. This is wrong.

McCain/Feingold: it stamps out political talk when we need it the most: 60 days before the election. This is *clearly* prohibition of free (and political) speech, in violation of the First Amendment. [Which, for all the talking heads out there, does NOT mean anyone can say anything and get away with it, but rather than no one will be *jailed* for it.]

Imminent Domain: A mayor or other local government body can now take YOUR home so that a fatcat (who will be paying more taxes than you) can put up his home. This is also very wrong.

So why is everyone jumping *only* on the Patriot Act, in a time of war?

Re:Well, why not look around?

[WheelDweller]

Oh, yeah? You don't watch a lot of news, do ya? There are dozens of places where the city council wanted a bowling alley instead of some people's homes; homes that had been there since 1947, as I recall. Eminent Domain was about tearing down houses ONLY for installing infrastructure, but these cases are still before the courts. The favorite of mine is where the Conservatives have petitioned the local government to tear down the house of a Supreme Court Judge who made it possible, to install a museum (which would pay more) called "Liberty House". (You should be able to Google that for the details.) There are a couple of guys in Seattle/Tacoma as I recall that were fined over $100,000 because they supported a _policy_ and not a _politician_ on the air; they lost their jobs, the last I'd heard. There have been encroachments upon Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness...the Patriot Act gets all the Press because George Bush asked for it, and George Soros hates him. (That's also why Rosie O'Donnell thinks "Fire doesn't melt steel!" and 9/11 was an inside job.) She should see Popular Mechanics this month.