A rose by any other name? The USA PATRIOT Act

[cheezus]

I was just browsing some Internet news and hit the CNN homepage to see what they were pushing. One of the main links was : President Bush promotes USA Patriot Act

USA Patriot Act?

http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html

We're suddenly attacked by terrorists, and there's HR 3162, an Act "To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes."

That's already misleading in that it is stating the goals of the law, rather than what the law will do.

Then,

SHORT TITLE- This Act may be cited as the `Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001'.

At least here it's still all caps, so as to suggest that it's merely an acronym. But now on CNN it's the "Patriot Act". Anyone who doesn't like it isn't a patriot.

But given how erosion of the liberties that this nation was founded upon is nowhere NEAR patriotic, the bill should have read:

SHORT TITLE- This Act my be cited as the `Government Expansion of Surveillance Tools on the American People and Others (GESTAPO) Act of 2001'.

Death tax, marriage penalty, partial birth abortion, welfare queens, etc, etc. We need to stop letting them do this.

Here's hoping the Gestapo act has its worst provisions removed.

[redqueen]

1. We can't stop them, at least not in the Mighty Wurlitzer

which is, after all, what most Americans turn to for their 'news'.

Leaflets, baby, leaflets.

[Garnak]

2. more...

I too, was interested in how CNN would speak to this issue....in their article, I found this subtle parsing of words:

"Major elements of the post-September 11, 2001, law are to expire at the end of next year, and several conservative Republicans have joined liberal Democrats in saying that at least two of them are too intrusive on Americans' lives."

Apparently, conservative democrats support the bill, in their view. Also, not how they subtly link those republicans who do not approve of the monstrous Patriot Act to 'liberal' Democrats.

Patriot Act

[redqueen]

3. Good catch!

Nice how they did that, eh? Guess we should all start praying that our conservative brothers and sisters see through this neo-con / neo-liberal BS and save this republic!

Welcome to DU! :hi: