Well, perhaps the US intelligence services (and their lapdogs the MSM) can still keep a secret.
President George W. Bush signed the PATRIOT Act into law on October 26, 2001. Nearly a decade later, some of its the most noxious provisions have burrowed their way deep into our legal system.
A year ago, President Obama signed a bill extending three provisions of the original Patriot Act. Last week Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Michigan), Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, introduced another extension of those provisions, triggering what's sure to be a bipartisan effort to continue to deny Americans their civil liberties.
The bill starts with so-called "roving wiretaps" that allow the government to spy on a nebulous array of individuals and devices, without specifying any of them ahead of time. The FBI could, with a single search warrant, raid every house or office that an individual suspect has visited over an entire year -- every single place, whether or not the residents themselves are suspects.
Then there's the eerily-named "lone wolf" provision, which lets the government apply the full power of the special courts created to deal with foreign spies against anyone who the government alleges is "preparing to attack." ... cont'd
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-segal/who-knew-patriot-act-up-f_b_809457.html---
Do you still believe that the poor Dems had the Patriot Act forced upon them against their will?Senator Leahy Introduces Bill To Extend Problematic Sections Of Patriot Act January 26, 2011
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) today introduced legislation to reauthorize three objectionable sections of the Patriot Act that are due to expire on February 28. The bill also takes positive steps to amend one of the expiring sections, Section 215 or the “library records” provision, as well as the controversial national security letter provision, which is not up for reauthorization.
The provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire next month are the John Doe roving wiretap provision, which allows law enforcement to conduct surveillance without identifying the person or location to be wiretapped; Section 215, or the “library records” provision, which allows the government to gain access to “any tangible thing” during investigations; and the “lone wolf” provision, which permits surveillance of “non-US” persons who are not affiliated with a terrorist group. All three provisions lack proper and fundamental privacy safeguards...cont'd
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/senator-leahy-introduces-bill-extend-problematic-sections-patriot-actNeed more information?
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_ActACLU on the Patriot Act
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/usa-patriot-act
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