Moments before some of the provisions of the PATRIOT Act that most infringe upon civil liberties were due to expire, the President signed an extension into law, extending these Orwellian measures for another four years. The President who promised us change appears to be little more than "Bush III, W's Revenge".
“
I think it is an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat,” the President said Friday, after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The measures, which he extended, minutes before midnight on Thursday allow warrant-less wiretaps, as well as other measures that make it easier for the U.S. Government to spy on it's own citizens, ostensibly in the guise of "protecting us". Apparently, all of this "protection" is still needed in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks which happened a decade ago this year. When did we as a people become such cowards that we are willing to gleefully hand over our civil liberties to our government, just so they can provide us with the illusion of safety?
Terrorists are the new communists, and the PATRIOT Act is the new McCarthyism, only I fear that now it may be far worse. It seems to me that far fewer people question the actions of their government today, far fewer people are willing to stand up and resist, and even fewer still are even aware that there is a movement in place that they should be actively resisting.
Today, in the United States,
a police officer can forcibly enter your home if he has reason to believe that you might have illegal drugs, and you may be in the process of destroying the evidence. If he believes you are actively destroying the evidence, he does not have to get a warrant, or any higher authority, he can kick in your door and search your home. If you resist, you will be arrested. How does this make anyone safer?
Today in the United States, if you are a gun owning libertarian with military training who is a supporter of
Ron Paul, believes in small government, the constitution, alternative voting systems (like
Instant Runoff Voting) and alternative Tax systems (like the
Fair Tax), like me, then you have been classified as a domestic terrorist. Yes, I am a domestic terrorist according to the PATRIOT Act, simply because I will support and defend the constitution of the United States of America against ALL enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC.
George W. Bush suspended
Posse Comitatus after hurricane Katrina, allowing U.S. Armed forces to police their own citizens for the first time since the U.S. Civil war. He also ordered U.S. Troops to confiscate all personal firearms in New Orleans, something that is illegal, unconstitutional and well beyond the authority of the President or the military to do. Anyone who knows me knows, that no force will ever make me surrender my firearms while I am still conscious and able to resist, but the people of New Orleans rolled over and took it, what choice did they have? President Obama has done nothing to fix this, he has not repealed Bush's executive order suspending Posse Comitatus.
President Obama claims to have taught the constitution as a college professor. I question his qualification to do so. He clearly lacks the understanding of the document required to teach such a course, let alone to be the President of this country. Although I did not vote for Obama, when he was elected, I was glad that perhaps we would finally get some much needed change, but alas we have gotten more of the same. More lies, more war, more infringement on civil liberties, more debt, more outrageous spending, and on top of it all we also get pandering to unions and a failure to have the common decency to do the easy and obvious stuff like close GITMO and allow gays to marry.
For me, the President signing an extension of the PATRIOT Act is just more proof that he doesn't give a damn about the American people, and that we are on a path of dismantling the republic. There is still a chance to save the republic, there is still a chance to get change. We must vote in 2012. We must vote Obama and his Bush-era big spending, civil-liberty crushing ilk out of office. We cannot afford more of the same.
--UPDATE--
The President, who was in France at the time the extension was passed, used an "
autopen" to sign the extension into law.
Apparently there may be some question as to whether or not that is legitimate. In 2005, the White House Office of Legal Counsel determined the use of an autopen to be constitutional, however, the White House Office of Legal Counsel doesn't have the authority to make such determinations, that's the job of the supreme court. There is no doubt in my mind that this will all get swept under the rug, or ignored or generally dismissed, but when it does we all know how sincere the U.S. government truly is about upholding our constitution.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 08:06PM 
