Obama Quietly Backs Patriot Act Provisions

[Bluebear]

NEW YORK - With the health care debate preoccupying the mainstream media, it has gone virtually unreported that the Barack Obama administration is quietly supporting renewal of provisions of the George W. Bush-era USA Patriot Act that civil libertarians say infringe on basic freedoms.

And it is reportedly doing so over the objections of some prominent Democrats.

When a panicky Congress passed the act 45 days after the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, three contentious parts of the law were scheduled to expire at the end of next month, and opponents of these sections have been pushing Congress to substitute new provisions with substantially strengthened civil liberties protections.

But with the apparent approval of the Obama White House and a number of Republicans – and over the objections of liberal Senate Democrats including Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Dick Durbin of Illinois – the Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to extend the three provisions with only minor changes.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/11/23-6

[DJ13]

1. Chains we can believe in?

[Tesha]

29. Well said :-( (NT)

[wuvuj]

31. Feeling Nervous?

http://www.alternet.org/rights/144101/feeling_nervous_3%2C000_behavior_detection_officers_will_be_watching_you_at_the_airport_this_thanksgiving/?page=entire


Here's a question to ponder the next time you're taking off your shoes at airport security: Can you spot terrorists by the look on their faces?

For the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the answer is yes. For the past few years, airports across the country have been using what many call "behavioral surveillance" to weed out potential hijackers among us, by covertly examining travelers' facial expressions and body language as they go through security. Unlike those airport employees who herd us along as we remove our shoes and relinquish all liquids over three ounces (with dubious results), this new program, named "Screening Passengers by Observational Techniques," or "SPOT," is carried out by TSA employees who have been trained to monitor travelers' faces and movements. As Americans head out of town this holiday season, more than 3,000 "Behavior Detection Officers" will be at 161 airports nationwide, watching our every move.

.....

First...it will be at airports...then on trains and buses and in the schools and malls.

I'm already seeing them in stores and so forth...trained parasites.

They are carefully watching for those who might be aware of what's going on and are not on some kind of calming drug...or just plain stupid? Someone who is a threat to the police state. :think:

Your police state grows deeper....your rights disappear.

PLEASE...stay pacified citizen...it is only best for you....consider the consequences.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. This is NOT change I voted for, and can believe in.

I am truly angry.

How could he?

[msongs]

3. didja hear GWB has a 3rd term by default lol nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. I don't think so!

But this sort of action just makes me sick.

[bdamomma]

30. or is it Cheney?

who has a 3rd term, he is still lurking in the shadows.

[tan guera]

9. Where did all the posts go?

I thought there were many a few minutes ago.  Bad news muddles
my brain.

[kenny blankenship]

4. picture should be a rook

[Political Heretic]

6. New Boss, Old Boss.

[waiting for hope]

7. Like your sig line PH -

Kinda appropriate here.

[MrMickeysMom]

8. ..

WHY?

[MindPilot]

10. Clinton was the best republican the democrats ever fielded

Obama is a close second.

[glinda]

11. My request of independent drug testing on our elected officials goes ignored.

[timtom]

33. Not by me!

I agree!

[glinda]

38. Thank you.

[Starry Messenger]

12. Swell.

Just when I thought I couldn't get any more cynical. :banghead:

[Libertas1776]

13. Obama

lost my vote about 50 or so "chess moves" ago. What a disappointment.

[niyad]

14. I am so far past disappointed. sadly, however, not surprised. by the way, where is the pom-pom

squad? can't wait to hear how they try to justify this one.

[QC]

16. Don't worry--they will manage to justify it.

Maybe it will be the one about turning a really big ship around. It's hard to go wrong with a nautical theme.

[pecwae]

26. Unless that big ship

turns out to be just like the Titanic.

[QC]

27. It's looking that way. n/t

[Bluebear]

22. Unrecc'ing like crazy, I imagine, and waiting for their instructions.

[Individualist]

37. Not to worry.

The DLC rah rahs will be here telling the rest of us what a wonderful thing this is.

[QC]

15. How very, very hopeful and changealicious!

(Yes, I know I have posted this many times before, but it's the best response I know of to these daily betrayals.)

[omega minimo]

17. Not a big surprise but OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK where has our country gone?

:cry:

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. T'was sold to the highest bidder, omega.

Denial is harder to maintain, I can tell by the volume of the outrage.

damn, has NO one read The Grand Chessboard????
Obama's handler Brzezinski laid it all out in '97.

[omega minimo]

21. I laid it all out

in 1980 :evilfrown:

[HipChick]

18. I'm not really worried about this...more interested in what the NSA are building in their huge silo'

look at the number of times these provisions get invoked..not much

[dgibby]

19. Once would have been one time too many. n/t

[Bluebear]

35. indeed

[coyote]

23. You know this is why I didn't even

vote in the last election. They are all corporate whores. Watch what the man does, not what he says.

Revolution is really the only way things are going to change in this country. Unfortunately, things will have to get a hell of lot worse before that day ever comes. And if that day does come, will there be anything left worth saving.

[democracy1st]

24. nothing but a Goldman Sachs admin I can't believe people are still buying this bs

[SammyWinstonJack]

39. I'm sorry I voted for the Wall Street Administration.

Won't make that mistake again.

[G_j]

25. sick... nt

[VMI Dem]

28. Shocking.

Not.

[varelse]

32. Kicking for later

don't have time to read the article now.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

34. Kicking and recommending!!!!

[Mari333]

36. one term.

he has lost his base.