patriot_act birdmad "Historically, the means of defense against foreign danger have become the instruments of tyranny at home" --James Madison 030905 ... from the secret files of birdmad Written primarily by the Justice Department and ramrodded through the House and Senate in mid-October of 2001 sight-unseen by all but a very few of the legislators, both houses bowed to pressure from Attorney General Ashcroft and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert who intoned that if the bill failed, all who voted against it would be viewed as responsible should another event like 9/11 come to pass. When parts of the USA PATRIOT Act became public knowledge and it began to be clearer and clearer just how much of the 4th_Amendment had been ripped away, Aschroft's reaction to the criticism was that "Those who would invoke the phantoms of lost liberty" were somehow aiding the terrorist. Your library records...not terribly safe, less so now than they were before. Your medical records, your travel history... same thing Much of the "probable cause" and even the "reasonable suspicion" requirements established through 200+ years of case law regarding government search and seizure of persons and property...largely eroded. More on this subject later... 030905 ... realistic optimist oh noes!!!!1! teh peasants have teh freedoms and rights! man the battlestations! fire torpedo 1 at free speech! fire torpedo 2 at file sharing! fire torpedo 3 at public gatherings! www.gobacktoyourmocha.com 030907 ... think dick and jane in hell see your bill see your rights see your bill of rights see your bill of rights shit upon see your bill of rights go away see what these fucking dicks are doing 040121 ... birdmad "Those who would trade essential Liberty for a little temporary Security deserve Neither" --Benjamin Franklin 040122 ... ssssss any respect for those supposedly protecting "freedom", I'm sure is long gone due to this. this is war_against_freedom. 061116 what's it to you? who go blather from