1.  Nothing to Do with Patriots
    by Jim Davidson
    davidson{at}net1.net

Special to TLE

Many of us in the freedom community get very tired of seeing the words
"the Patriot Act" in print.  It isn't an act about patriots, nor
about patriotism.  A good case can be made that it isn't even about the USA
as properly constituted.

USA PATRIOT is:

    "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate
    Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism act"
    and the acronym is obviously both deliberate and a reach.

I think those opposing this vicious act would do better to call it
"the Obstruct Terrorism act" or perhaps even "the
Uniting...Terrorism act" rather than "the Patriot Act." 
Allowing Congresscritters and folx in the Justice Department to continue to
hide behind partriotism by calling it "the Patriot Act" is not a
good way to get it repealed.

If you have some idea that it isn't all that bad, take a look at the
Electronic Frontier Foundation's take on it:

http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism_militias/20011031_eff
_usa_patriot_analysis.php
[copy and paste both lines into your broswer!]

Or examine the recent report on the Justice Department's use of it by their
own Inspector General:

http://www.independent.org/tii/news/030724ONeil.html

But, whatever you think of it, whatever you object to about it, please stop
calling it "the Patriot Act." Doing so is a lousy thing to say
about patriots.


--
Jim Davidson is available to speak at liberty oriented events.
http://www.ezez.com/free/freejim.html and is negotiable on his fee.

(RJT:  Anybody who has web access who wants to copy the referenced articles
into here,  please feel free...)

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