White House Moves to Protect Right to Spy on Readers

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0708-01.htm

Published on Thursday, July 8, 2004 by Agence France Presse

White House Moves to Protect Right to Spy on Readers


WASHINGTON - The White House has gone to preventive war -- to protect the US government's newly-acquired right to spy on readers as part of counterterrorism investigations, promising to veto a multibillion-dollar spending bill if these powers are curtailed.

The shot across the bow was fired Wednesday, ahead of a widely anticipated amendment by Representative Bernie Sanders that would prevent Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government agents from using a secret federal intelligence court to gain access to the reading records of library or bookstore patrons as part of counterterrorism probes.

"We plan to introduce it on the House floor Thursday," Joel Barkin, spokesman for the independent lawmaker, told AFP.

If passed, the measure would be attached to a nearly 40-billion-dollar appropriations bill funding the Departments of Commerce, Justice and State in fiscal 2005.

But the White House will have none of it. Moving to nip the idea in the bud, the presidential Office of Management and Budget made clear it would rather see the whole appropriations bill die than allow changes to the USA Patriot Act.

..more..

[Massacure]

1. lmao I would love to see Bush veto the budget

Bad move for elections.

[Invalence1]

2. Especially

over this issue.

[G_j]

7. would be interesting

that would have to draw attention to the library issue, but since less and less Americans actually bother to read anymore...would they care?

[newyawker99]

8. Hi Invalence1!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[fdr_hst_fan]

3. Wait a minute-

doesn't he have the line-item veto? Repukes have screamed for that since Ray-gun's time-I thought they finally got it?

[Q3JR4]

6. Nope.

Ruled unconstitutional by the USSC during Clinton's term.

[tom_paine]

4. Yep. Go ahead, Bushler, VETO the appropriations bill

The fact that you would go to the mat to protect your Embryonic Tyranny is something you dare NOT expose to the sleeping public.

Oh, Caligula and Nero Bush will have no trouble, but more Free Americans have to die of old age and in your Gulags before such a thing could be safely done.

On the other hand, Bunnypants*, I have underestimated what you Monsters werte capable of getting away with before.

[G_j]

5. yes!

"Embryonic Tyranny"

.. a keeper

[Blackaxe]

9. My thoughts exactly

If he shuts down the gubmint the pubs will get the same medicine at the ballot box that they did last time they tried to pull that crap.

[hunter]

10. Which is the reason for my rude post in the Lounge...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=1375009

If I go to a big University Library and check out a few technical books about nuclear or biological weapons, can I expect a visit from the thought police?

When everyone is a "suspect" it makes it harder to find the real "terrorists."

But that's not what this game is about. They want me to be afraid of them. They should be afraid of us. We are Americans, citizens of the United States, and our politicians work for us. We can, and we will, throw their sorry asses out of office when they screw up. George W. Bush is the biggest screw-up president ever.

(I am feeling much inspired by Will Pitt's "land of the free and home of the brave" speech today...)