Bush Signs Parts of PATRIOT II Into Law......

[Impolitico]

(I didn't see anything about this in the forums..... Please delete if this is a dupe.)

http://www.sacurrent.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10705756&BRD=2318&PAG=461&dept_id=482778&rfi=6

<snip>

“The Act included a simple, yet insidious, redefinition of “financial institution,” which previously referred to banks, but now includes stockbrokers, car dealerships, casinos, credit card companies, insurance agencies, jewelers, airlines, the U.S. Post Office, and any other business ‘whose cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, or regulatory matters.’”

"Congress passed the legislation around Thanksgiving. Except for U.S. Representative Charlie Gonzalez, all San Antonio's House members voted for the act. The Senate passed it with a voice vote to avoid individual accountability. While broadening the definition of "financial institution," the Bush administration is ramping up provisions within the 2001 USA Patriot Act, which granted the FBI the authority to obtain client records from banks by merely requesting the records in a "National Security Letter." To get the records, the FBI doesn't have to appear before a judge, nor demonstrate "probable cause" - reason to believe that the targeted client is involved in criminal or terrorist activity. Moreover, the National Security Letters are attached with a gag order, preventing any financial institution from informing its clients that their records have been surrendered to the FBI. If a financial institution breaches the gag order, it faces criminal penalties. And finally, the FBI will no longer be required to report to Congress how often they have used the National Security Letters."

[Hawkeye-X]

1. And *'s fate is sealed

while the challenges on PATRIOT ACT I and new ones for II continues in court.

* is dead. Will be dead come November of 2004.

He will lose about 30 to 60% of the votes.

Hawkeye-X

[Impolitico]

2. I wish I could agree...

... but I fear that's an overly optimistic prediction. Maybe I've just lost faith in the sheeple?

[the_boxer_]

7. I've lost faith too...

And when we are bent over and fucked we will have deserved it.

[jab105]

12. Love the optimism...

but realism has to come in now too...for the last year I've been saying seems like about every other week..."Ah ha this will take Bush down"...and it never does...

We are going to have to work our butts off in 2004 to even get our message out, and even then nearly half of the population wont listen because they "trust" Bush Only, I repeat ONLY, because he happened to be president during 9-11...

[meti57b]

20. unfortunately, I think the republicans are going to ....

love Patriot II. They think it makes them feel so .... "secure".

Actual "conservatives" will be kvetching about it, but they aren't about to vote for a Democrat.

[the_boxer_]

3. Treasonous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Bush Reich has come

When will America wake the fuck up?

[Fovea]

14. Every new outrage from Bush

brings us one step closer to a second civil war.
I pray that we can stop this slide into totalitarian
police state status legally, with the ballot box.

It's good to see you here Boxer, welcome.

[the_boxer_]

15. Thank you ralpolitk!

This administration is a nightmare!

Thanks for weloming me.

[54anickel]

4. Oh yes, several of us DUers posted this info when it was happening

I think the first little blurb in the news was around the 10th or 11th stating Shrub would sign the bill that Saturday. It tended to be buried in other news stories, just a blurb. Saw it in the Ecomonic forum first, I think it was BeenHereNow that first mentioned it regarding safe deposit boxes.

Good find and post. We all need to get the true dirt on this bill.

Welcome to DU :hi:

[ima_sinnic]

5. dupe--see this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=963100

[niyad]

6. how convenient that he signed this the day that saddam was supposedly

"captured". one might conclude that the whole capture thing was staged just so they could sneak this act in. more of this fraudulent administration's power=grabbing BS

[whatelseisnew]

8. Glad to see this getting some local coverage

I have not seen any Networks cover it

[the_boxer_]

9. Me neither...but why would they?

They have the same agenda...

[shanti]

10. this story came out on CHRISTMAS EVE???

oh, the unmitigated GALL of these snakes! :grr: everytime they stick us, they do it under cover and "quietly"....

[CWebster]

11. Anyone care to hit any of our candidates

in the house or senate with it? Oh that's right, since they give Bush mostly everything, they have nothing left to use against him, so they have to attack Dean for calling them cockroaches....Anyone interested in agreeing with Dean just now?

[cthrumatrix]

13. Our "liberal media" strikes again.... I'm sure rush covered this..

[arcane1]

16. am I the only one who is SICK OF VOICE-VOTING???

:grr::mad::grr:

if our reps don't have the COURAGE and INTEGRITY to stand behind what they are voting for, then they need to be run out of D.C. with torches and pitchforks, and replaced by humans with some goddamned spines...

:argh:

[Fuzz]

17. SOME freepers seem to be FINALLY waking up

But I'm sure they will fall asleep soon enough.

If this is true Bush just lost my vote. This is sleazy behavior.

18 posted on 12/29/2003 12:27:48 AM EST by LPM1888


Even if this article is hyperbole, the timing of Bush's signings are akin to what Clintigula used to do. While I could accept the aggrendisment of the FBI's powers, the "thief in the night" style is too much.

23 posted on 12/29/2003 12:32:03 AM EST by KantianBurke


I heard that this bill, now Public Law 108-177, was signed into law by the President on December 13, 2003 while listening to a Canadian radio staton last night.(MOJO radio, Toronto, Canada)
As far as I know, with the exception of the San Antonio newspaper, this information has not been reported by our media.

28 posted on 12/29/2003 12:36:55 AM EST by Marianne


Property siezure is too easy in the U.S., as is snooping on financial records.

The time to leave will be soon, and the time for my money to leave is now.

Also, read my tagline. The REAL BIG cost of these kinds of laws is that I would not fight to defend the Ashcroft Nation. Nor will my kids. You better be ready to re-up because this place can go to hell in a can of anthrax for all I care.

When the government recinds all emergency powers and colors inside Constitutional lines I'll reconsider.

106 posted on 12/29/2003 7:16:25 AM EST by eno_


Check this thread:


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1047908/posts

[bvar22]

18. Isn't it ironic that it may take a coalition between...

traditional liberals (not DLC) and traditional conservatives (not NeoCons) to defeat the Corporate takeover of America?

[arcane1]

19. this link also has a place to send a letter to the editor about it

I recommend doing so. I just fired off one, congratulating them for being BRAVE AND HONEST enough to report the truth :toast: