From: "Randy H" 

(from Politech:)

[Ah, yes, the party of limited government in action... --Declan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 11:05:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: Richard Forno 
To: declan{at}well.com
Subject: GOP wants to make USA PATRIOT permanent


This is downright scary, but not unexpected....rf GOP wants to keep
anti-terror powers Broad spying tools would become permanent New York Times
Wednesday, April 9, 2003 Washington -- Congressional Republicans, working
with the Bush administration, are maneuvering to make permanent the
sweeping anti-terrorism powers granted to federal law enforcement agents
after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, officials said Tuesday. The move is
likely to touch off strong objections from many Democrats and even some
Republicans in Congress who believe that the Patriot Act, as the
legislation that grew out of the attacks is known, has already given the
government too much power to spy on Americans. The landmark legislation
expanded the government's power to use eavesdropping, surveillance, access
to financial and computer records and other tools to track terrorist
suspects. When it passed in October 2001, moderates and civil libertarians
in Congress agreed to support it only by making many critical provisions
temporary. Those provisions will expire, or "sunset," at the end
of 2005 unless Congress reauthorizes them.
< snip >
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/09
/MN257910.DTL






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