One more right down the drain of liberty.

**Original Post: 9 June 2005

The US Senate, that great bastion of power, where lobbyist roam the great halls of the people and dictates the laws of this country, met in secrete session and voted on the new provisions of the Patriot Act. The new provisions give that other great police institution of this country, once run by the infamous J. Edgar Hoover for over 40 years. Lady J, ran it with an iron fist for his/her person and his/her personal agenda, making sure agents, where “straight as an arrow” while he/she was parading in a skirts and women handbags. The same man, oh, sorry Lady J, terrified so many sitting presidents and terrified the nation, using the hunt for communism as the agenda to control the nation, and no one dared to question him/her. That same institution now has power that went beyond the dreams of Lady J.
Under the new provisions of the Patriot Act, the FBI can issue orders; warrant for arrest, seizures, monitor and wire tap any and every one. Well, not really every one, but mostly Arabs and Muslims of this country, and can get all kind of information, including medical records and how many times couples have intercourse, and books checked out of the library. All of this power and more even if the person the FBI is after did not or is not suspected of doing any thing illegal or criminal, or have any connection with any foreign power or group. All that and more without the benefits of an independent federal judge to look at the evidence or pass a judgment on the request of the FBI.
Well, of course, we need to keep in mind that this great institution of ours have within its ranks and for so many years, spies and traitors who were responsible for policing others and protecting the nation.
Well, the question is does the nation trust the FBI to do all that, and have all of the powers without the danger of abusing such powers? Of course not!
Without any checks and balances, no police or security institution could ever be entrusted with the security of the nation and with the rights of citizens without an independent supervision of the judiciary, the only independent branch of the government we have, that is not subject to the dictates of lobbyist and people like Tom Delay, who if has it his way, federal judges will be at the whims of special interest groups, and even in danger for their lives. We only need to look at the Gestapo or Hitler’s Germany or the Stassi of East Germany or the KGP of the former Soviet Union and to the Savak of the late Shah of Iran, to know that such institutions with raw powers not only failed to protect the nations, they contributed to their demise. We only hope this will not be the case with the FBI.
Terrorism and the fear of terrorism is a big business and federal agencies asking and are getting hundreds of billions of precious tax dollars only to give it away to greedy and incompetent federal contractors who think they are providing the nation with added security, when in fact the citizens feel other wise and they are filling the pockets of their shareholders and executives.
I am not going to go to the intended victims, suspects and targets of the Patriot Act, the Arabs and Muslims. I will not be surprised if I walk up one night on the sound of someone knocking on my door at 4 am in the morning and asking me why do I shop at Safeway and not at Giant, and why do I buy smoked turkey and not roast beef. We should not be surprised if these things happen. Every thing we buy or a book we check out, or a restaurants we go out to, or food we eat, or music we listen to, we must first think what interest will the FBI have in such activities. Of course, we like the rest of the nation, it is our country and we care for it as any one else, perhaps more, we chose to be here.