Senator Russ Feingold Correctly Predicted How The Patriot Act Would Be Abused; Too Bad He Got Voted Out Of Office
from the sad dept
Before there were Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall speaking out against the Patriot Act, the FISA Amendments Act and secret interpretations of the law that take away our civil liberties, there was Senator Russ Feingold -- the only Senator who voted against the Patriot Act at the beginning. At the time, he clearly warned what it would lead to:One provision that troubles me a great deal is a provision that permits the government under FISA to compel the production of records from any business regarding any person, if that information is sought in connection with an investigation of terrorism or espionage.That was in October of 2001. And he was right. And, since the beginning, he was the only Senator who consistently voted against the Patriot Act and various extensions and expansions. And, over the years since then he regularly warned us about secret interpretations of the law, including putting together a hearing more than five years ago on "Secret Law and the Threat to Democratic and Accountable Government."
Now we're not talking here about travel records pertaining to a terrorist suspect, which we all can see can be highly relevant to an investigation of a terrorist plot. FISA already gives the FBI the power to get airline, train, hotel, car rental and other records of a suspect.
But under this bill, the government can compel the disclosure of the personal records of anyone - perhaps someone who worked with, or lived next door to, or went to school with, or sat on an airplane with, or has been seen in the company of, or whose phone number was called by -- the target of the investigation.
And under this new provisions all business records can be compelled, including those containing sensitive personal information like medical records from hospitals or doctors, or educational records, or records of what books someone has taken out of the library. This is an enormous expansion of authority, under a law that provides only minimal judicial supervision.
Under this provision, the government can apparently go on a fishing expedition and collect information on virtually anyone. All it has to allege in order to get an order for these records from the court is that the information is sought for an investigation of international terrorism or clandestine intelligence gathering. That's it. On that minimal showing in an ex parte application to a secret court, with no showing even that the information is relevant to the investigation, the government can lawfully compel a doctor or hospital to release medical records, or a library to release circulation records. This is a truly breathtaking expansion of police power.
Not only did people fail to take him seriously back then, they voted him out of office in the 2010 "tea party" wave. Considering how many in the Tea Party are now among those most upset about the revelations of NSA surveillance, they might regret that decision... especially since the man they replaced him with, Senator Ron Johnson voted for both the FISA Sunsets Extension Act of 2011 and the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2012 which extended the various provisions that we now know were secretly interpreted by the FISA Court to make these surveillance programs "legal."
Feingold is now speaking out about the NSA surveillance, and it's already leading some to suggest he run again for public office.
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Filed Under: nsa, nsa surveillance, patriot act, politics, russ feingold, secret laws, surveillance
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1. Tell a cop to fuck off - Terrorist
2. Pissing in public - Pedo Terrorist
3. Sniffing paint - Junkie Terrorist
4. Jacking off in a theater - Pee Wee Terrorist
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Breathing - Oxygen Terrorist
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5) Peaceful opposition to the status quo - Political Terrorist.
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American doesn't give a crap
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
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Re: American doesn't give a crap
And that boys and girls is exactly how it starts. Is history no longer required in schools?
Let's see how many other times throughout history have the people been willing to put up with violations to their civil liberties in order to 'protect the state'. Hmmm, now let's see where have I heard about things like this before?
Nazi Germany comes to mind. "Oh but that was not Americans, we would never go that far!" I hear you say.
So let's look a little closer to home, you know, on American soil.
Colonial Massachusetts 1692-1693 Salem Witch Trials. "Too old!"; I hear you cry; "We are more civilized now!", or so you say.
Well let's jump forward 250+ years to say the late 1940's and early 1950's. Do you know what I am referring to?
Mcarthy's famous 'red's under our beds' campaign. Surely you learned about this in school if you aren't old enough to have lived through it.
Now today we have the "Patriot Act" and the great fear of terrorism. Where people are stripped of privacy and secretly spied upon because they might be a terrorist. Oddly, many people say "I have nothing to hide." At least until they have unwittingly become a target, and someone decides that childhood friend is an enemy of the state; your college dorm mate; your neighbor; the person you work with...
What do these (and other examples) have in common? They all use fear as a means to alienate people and make them turn against each other under the illusion of some ongoing conspiracy. They were all in search of an invisible enemy who caused 'some sort of damage to society'.
Most importantly all were exploited by various powerful individuals to gain power due to the paranoia of the average person.
So go ahead sheeple, let your government leaders take you down the road to the slaughter house. Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.
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Re: Re: American doesn't give a crap
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right
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Libertarianism isn't sounding so bad now, huh?
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Re: Libertarianism isn't sounding so bad now, huh?
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Re: Libertarianism isn't sounding so bad now, huh?
Luckily, we have plenty more choices than that.
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Re: Re: Re: Libertarianism isn't sounding so bad now, huh?
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Re: Libertarianism isn't sounding so bad now, huh?
They never sounded crazy to me. They still sound dangerous, though.
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Re: Libertarianism isn't sounding so bad now, huh?
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Re: Libertarianism isn't sounding so bad now, huh?
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THEY LIVE!
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Cluck Bawk Cluck
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I sure hope you're getting paid for your posts, as the alternative, that you really are that childish would be so very sad.
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His wife can only get naughty if he's naughty.
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Ron Johnson isn't really a tea partier either
A lot of the members of the house tea party caucus are the same way. Republicans who are more scared of a primary challenge from the right because of being in such a heavily gerrymandered district then they are of the general election, in which practically anyone with an R next to their name could win.
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Re: Ron Johnson isn't really a tea partier either
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I hope Mr. Feingold runs again because he's got my vote.
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The Problem
Then I go.. STFU, and don't vote for them.
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Re: The Problem
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Despite warnings from a single Senator -- out of fear of those crying TERRORISTS we lose our liberties via the Patriot Act, et. al.
[Senate fills with enormous applause]
Padmé: [to Bail Organa] So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause.
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Re: Despite warnings from a single Senator -- out of fear of those crying TERRORISTS we lose our liberties via the Patriot Act, et. al.
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But there were PLENTY of reasons to vote him out. I heard him speak in person at my college when he was trying to get his McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill passed, and one thing really stuck out in my mind. He mentioned that he was trying to get a severability clause put in, because part of the bill was unconstitutional, and this way part of it might survive. I can't vote for anyone who sponsors bills that they KNOW are unconstitutional. (And sure enough, the thing WAS found unconstitutional, leaving campaign finance in an even BIGGER mess.)
And one time, when asked, he said that partial-birth abortion was between a woman and her doctor even if the baby had accidentally been fully born. That's not abortion any more, Senator, that's murder.
On another note, I'm not sure the article title is correct. Did he really predict what would happen?
"But under this bill, the government can compel the disclosure of the personal records of anyone - perhaps someone who worked with, or lived next door to, or went to school with, or sat on an airplane with, or has been seen in the company of, or whose phone number was called by -- the target of the investigation."
Feingold correctly realized that it could be abused. But I don't think even Feingold realized the extent of what they would seek. They didn't just seek the phone records of anyone who ever had contact with a target, which would be bad enough. They sought and received the phone records of EVERYONE on an ongoing basis. No connection, however flimsy, to terrorists needed. I don't think anybody thought they would be THAT brazen.
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Applause
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Dash doll
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http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101118/10291211924/the-19-senators-who-voted-to-censor-t he-internet.shtml
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terroist
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Run Again
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