Patriot Act still deeply flawed

Jennifer Lawless: Patriot Act still deeply flawed
01:00 AM EST on Saturday, March 25, 2006

<snip> Let's begin with the gag-order "improvement." Under the original Patriot Act, federal investigators could access private business and library records, and the people required to turn over those records -- such as librarians -- were prohibited from informing anyone about the search. The new version allegedly "protects" civil liberties, because it lets the recipients of some of these court-issued search orders challenge the nondisclosure requirement in court.

What supporters of the Patriot Act don't mention is that the new act still includes a one-year "gag" order. In other words, anyone forced by the government to turn over Americans' private records must wait a full year before challenging the order. As a result, people whose privacy has been violated will not know about it until it is too late. Are we to believe this is a protection of civil liberties? <snip>

Are we to believe this is a protection of civil liberties? And we certainly can't ignore the "sneak-and-peek" provision that lets the government conduct secret searches of Americans' homes. Not only can investigators enter our homes and offices, take pictures, and seize items; they can also do so without informing us that a warrant has been issued. Are we to believe this is a protection of civil liberties? <snip>


Jennifer Lawless, an assistant professor of political science and public policy at Brown University, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island's Second Congressional District seat.

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20060325_25law.688336a.html

I am just listing the Democrats, those who voted FOR this abomination. These Senators, our Senators, Democratic Senators voted FOR this violation of our civil rights.

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Clinton (D-NY)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)

I was hoping that someone will one day tell me how these 40 Senators are serving our nation, our party, and our ideals by doing this to us.

Jennifer Lawless, an assistant professor of political science and public policy at Brown University, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island's Second Congressional District seat.

ities!

and should be repealed immediately.

:patriot: