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July 21, 2005 9:40 AM PDT

House reauthorizes Patriot Act

  • 16 comments

Vote along party lines makes permanent the government's unprecedented powers to investigate suspected terrorists.

The story "House reauthorizes Patriot Act" published July 21, 2005 at 9:40 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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Inappropriate name for an uncontitutional law!
by heystoopid July 21, 2005 10:50 PM PDT
A true stroke of genius, calling this abuse of authority and withdrawal of democratic and legal rights act 'the patriot act' for even Joe Stalin or Lenin could not have thought of it. Ah, only craven cowards permit the continuance of unconstitutional laws, whilst simultaneously allowing those who expose own countries spies to remain unpunished. Truly amazing!
Reply to this comment
Stalin regarded his supporters as patriots...
by July 22, 2005 12:44 PM PDT
Really... a department of homeland security?
Throw in a little PATRIOT act and you're just a
couple of clauses in a mission statement away
from the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti or
Geheime Staatspolizei. I'm not saying that our
organizations operate like that now, I'm just
pointing out that those organizations originally
had the same mission and similar grants of
powers as or representatives are giving to the
justice department today. The KGB and Gestapo
were mildly nefarious in the beginning and very
rapidly evolved into terrible things. I wonder
where we see our little experiment going. Maybe
the third time is a charm?

Is the PATRIOT Act our Reichstag Fire Decree? No
(though I wonder how many of my fellow Americans
know what that is). I'm not sure that people
ought to be any less concerned about it. Germans
put up with it because the economy was doing
pretty well and surely the government was
looking after everyone's best interest... After
all, they were keeping the nation safe from
those that would destroy it...

In 1946, Hermann Goring, founder of the Gestapo,
told journalist Gustave Gilbert that "Voice or
no voice, the people can always be brought to
the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All
you have to do is tell them they are being
attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of
patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
It works the same in any country."

In 2001, Bush tells the public they're being
attacked by Muslim extremists in their midst,
that Iraq is responsible (no proof, but plans to
invade Iraq were on the table long before so
Bush didn't need any convincing, just an
opportunity), and then he tells us that
criticizing his policies only "embolden an enemy
by sending mixed messages," and Orrin Hatch
proclaims that the anti-war element is
"consistently saying things that I think
undermine our young men and women who are
serving over there." Tom Daschle tells us that
taking umbridge to Bush's policies "brings
comfort to America's enemies."

I'm not saying that the republican party is
devolving into a despotic fascist cesspool. I'm
just saying that at some level it's deja vu all
over again.

Oh well, I guess nobody cares (ironcially, many
Germans didn't either at the time)...
Inappropriate name for an uncontitutional law!
by heystoopid July 21, 2005 10:50 PM PDT
A true stroke of genius, calling this abuse of authority and withdrawal of democratic and legal rights act 'the patriot act' for even Joe Stalin or Lenin could not have thought of it. Ah, only craven cowards permit the continuance of unconstitutional laws, whilst simultaneously allowing those who expose own countries spies to remain unpunished. Truly amazing!
Reply to this comment
Stalin regarded his supporters as patriots...
by July 22, 2005 12:44 PM PDT
Really... a department of homeland security?
Throw in a little PATRIOT act and you're just a
couple of clauses in a mission statement away
from the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti or
Geheime Staatspolizei. I'm not saying that our
organizations operate like that now, I'm just
pointing out that those organizations originally
had the same mission and similar grants of
powers as or representatives are giving to the
justice department today. The KGB and Gestapo
were mildly nefarious in the beginning and very
rapidly evolved into terrible things. I wonder
where we see our little experiment going. Maybe
the third time is a charm?

Is the PATRIOT Act our Reichstag Fire Decree? No
(though I wonder how many of my fellow Americans
know what that is). I'm not sure that people
ought to be any less concerned about it. Germans
put up with it because the economy was doing
pretty well and surely the government was
looking after everyone's best interest... After
all, they were keeping the nation safe from
those that would destroy it...

In 1946, Hermann Goring, founder of the Gestapo,
told journalist Gustave Gilbert that "Voice or
no voice, the people can always be brought to
the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All
you have to do is tell them they are being
attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of
patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
It works the same in any country."

In 2001, Bush tells the public they're being
attacked by Muslim extremists in their midst,
that Iraq is responsible (no proof, but plans to
invade Iraq were on the table long before so
Bush didn't need any convincing, just an
opportunity), and then he tells us that
criticizing his policies only "embolden an enemy
by sending mixed messages," and Orrin Hatch
proclaims that the anti-war element is
"consistently saying things that I think
undermine our young men and women who are
serving over there." Tom Daschle tells us that
taking umbridge to Bush's policies "brings
comfort to America's enemies."

I'm not saying that the republican party is
devolving into a despotic fascist cesspool. I'm
just saying that at some level it's deja vu all
over again.

Oh well, I guess nobody cares (ironcially, many
Germans didn't either at the time)...
thank god i'm english
by Scott W July 22, 2005 2:26 AM PDT
hopefully such a law will NEVER be passed in the UK. the US government want to destroy freedom and become the next Nazi Party. unfortunately the US public will gladly follow "for their own good".
Reply to this comment
thank god i'm english
by Scott W July 22, 2005 2:26 AM PDT
hopefully such a law will NEVER be passed in the UK. the US government want to destroy freedom and become the next Nazi Party. unfortunately the US public will gladly follow "for their own good".
Reply to this comment
Really - am I surprised?
by 2shane July 22, 2005 3:06 AM PDT
George Dubbaya Boosh is a liar, a thief, a murderer, a war criminal and a scumbag junkie to boot....

What else do you expect from Mr Nazi himself.
Reply to this comment
Really - am I surprised?
by 2shane July 22, 2005 3:06 AM PDT
George Dubbaya Boosh is a liar, a thief, a murderer, a war criminal and a scumbag junkie to boot....

What else do you expect from Mr Nazi himself.
Reply to this comment
Please think before you write!
by July 22, 2005 3:58 AM PDT
Jesus,- Nazi, war criminal, if you can't write something intelligent please don't write anything!The three previous comments sound like a National Geo. experiment! Let's give three monkeys a keyboard and see what they'll write! Oh by the way i'm glad your english too, we have enough defeatist as it is in the U.S.
Reply to this comment
Hey man
by ExWinUser July 22, 2005 8:04 AM PDT
People can write whatever they want. This isn?t a Republican gathering where they suppress free speech! My thought is this, politicians know that we are sheep, and they are using scare tactics that probably worked since the beginning of time to control our views and our votes. US citizens kill more US citizens than foreign terrorist do. So, I?m not afraid of terrorist, just mostly afraid of my own government.
say what you will
by hugh dunnit July 22, 2005 8:42 AM PDT
their views are held widely across this fine country, the government is a joke.

some people feel by belonging to the 'power' party they are somehow connected and saved from the tyranny and oppression that is being done through overbearing laws. get a clue guy, none of us wins regardless of your voting allegiance.
Please think before you write!
by July 22, 2005 3:58 AM PDT
Jesus,- Nazi, war criminal, if you can't write something intelligent please don't write anything!The three previous comments sound like a National Geo. experiment! Let's give three monkeys a keyboard and see what they'll write! Oh by the way i'm glad your english too, we have enough defeatist as it is in the U.S.
Reply to this comment
Hey man
by ExWinUser July 22, 2005 8:04 AM PDT
People can write whatever they want. This isn?t a Republican gathering where they suppress free speech! My thought is this, politicians know that we are sheep, and they are using scare tactics that probably worked since the beginning of time to control our views and our votes. US citizens kill more US citizens than foreign terrorist do. So, I?m not afraid of terrorist, just mostly afraid of my own government.
say what you will
by hugh dunnit July 22, 2005 8:42 AM PDT
their views are held widely across this fine country, the government is a joke.

some people feel by belonging to the 'power' party they are somehow connected and saved from the tyranny and oppression that is being done through overbearing laws. get a clue guy, none of us wins regardless of your voting allegiance.
Absolutely
by captnet July 22, 2005 9:13 AM PDT
Suuure we Americans 'trust' the powers to be to exercise restraint and only use these powers where absolutely needed for anti-terrorist efforts. Any moron knows it's absolutly human nature to only do good with absolute power. Righhhht! (pronounced heavy on the 'h')

In fact while we are all 'trusting' the powers, why not just re-write the entire Constitution to your liking. After all we 'trust' you. Righhhht!
Reply to this comment
Absolutely
by captnet July 22, 2005 9:13 AM PDT
Suuure we Americans 'trust' the powers to be to exercise restraint and only use these powers where absolutely needed for anti-terrorist efforts. Any moron knows it's absolutly human nature to only do good with absolute power. Righhhht! (pronounced heavy on the 'h')

In fact while we are all 'trusting' the powers, why not just re-write the entire Constitution to your liking. After all we 'trust' you. Righhhht!
Reply to this comment
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