The Gov Reads the Patriot Act Differently

Two senators claimed on Thursday that the Justice Department had secretly interpreted the so-called Patriot Act in a twisted way, enabling domestic surveillance activities that many members of Congress do not understand.
[...]
During the debate, Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and a member of the Intelligence Committee, said that the executive branch had come up with a secret legal theory about what it could collect under a provision of the Patriot Act that did not seem to dovetail with a plain reading of the text. “I want to deliver a warning this afternoon: When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry,” Mr. Wyden said. He invoked the public’s reaction to the illegal domestic spying that came to light in the mid-1970s, the Iran-contra affair, and the Bush administration’s program of surveillance without warrants.

Another member of the Intelligence Committee, Senator Mark Udall, Democrat of Colorado, backed Mr. Wyden’s account, saying, “Americans would be alarmed if they knew how this law is being carried out.”
[...]
The Obama administration declined to explain what the senators were talking about.

Hold on, didn’t Obama have something to say about Patriot Act abuses when running for office? Maybe there was an expiration date on those promises?

Dear UK

Dear United Kingdom,

While I'm happy that your tax dollars were spent on a lavish wedding for two children, I'm fairly certain that Patriots died so that Americans wouldn't have to care about such pomp and circumstance.

I need some more coffee. Not tea. Coffee.

Signed,

Uncle Cap'n.

Some News

BREAKING: House effort to suspend rules and pass USA PATRIOT Act extension FAILS, 277-148

They prevented them from extending the act until December of this year. There three more, most importantly one that will extend them to December 2013. Obama asked them to be extended to Dec. 2013.

26R 122D voted against the extension, 67D 210R voted for. It needed a 2/3 vote to pass.

Rand and Ron Paul are the major Republican opposition to the bill.

Patriot Act Renued

Congress, Once Again, Looks To Extend Patriot Act With Little Or No Debate

When the Patriot Act first passed, there were concerns about civil liberties. Especially in reaction to the terrorist attacks of 2001. In order to mollify those concerned, Congress put in some "sunset" provisions, which would have certain aspects of the Patriot Act expire at a particular time. Last year, parts of the Patriot Act were set to expire, and some folks had hoped that it would open up some opportunities to better protect basic civil liberties. You know, that whole 4th amendment non-sense.

Too bad it was an election year, no one wanted to look "soft" on terrorism, Congress had little discussion about the matter and simply decided to re-up the entire Patriot Act, saying they'd review the provisions this year.

Sure.

In an attempt to be amusing, the extension of the Patriot Act was buried in the "Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act."

Read more

Madden Prediction

Patriots to win this years Super Bowl according to this just released Madden 2011 simulation. Looks like the cheat codes have been released as well?

Read More

You UnAmerican Nazi!

Now it is Un-American to disagree with the Government

Wait, just six months ago opposing the President was Patriotic? I'm confused - Oh wait, that's because George Bush was our President.

"I'm sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you're not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we're Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration."
— Hillary Clinton

Hillary said ANY Administration, right?

But if you disagree with Nancy Pelosi you are UN-AMERICAN!

Man, the shifting at the hog trough didn't take long, did it?

But wait, there's more! Mrs. Pelosi just couldn't leave it alone. Since her mouth was already open more fell out.

“I think they’re AstroTurf. You be the judge. They’re carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on health care.”

Who carries swastikas? Nazis do. Pelosi did not complain that the protesters were comparing Obama's Health Care Plan to Nazism; she insinuated that the protesters are the Nazis.

Can we get something straight here, please - all together - for once? Let's all agree that if you use Hitler or Nazi in a sentence in a debate - you're automatically disqualified from all further discussion.

First, for the Speaker of the House of Representatives is comparing the people of her country to Nazis - and not bothering to understand what that implication means - is deplorable.

It is one thing for a citizen to say vile things about an elected official, they're our employees after all. It's something else for an elected official to say vile things about a citizen. It seems like a double standard - but guess what, it isn't.

But there's something else that's troubling me. I wish we could all come to terms with what the National Socialist German Workers’ Party was. It was a combination or consortium of different political views - left and right - and created a form of government that was neither capitalist nor communist. This was the 'Third Way'.

Both fascism and Nazism rejected ideologies like democracy, liberalism and Marxism, but also conservatism and also corporatism when it suited them. But Italian and Spanish fascists were different than the Germans. So it's just easier to say Nationalists. The State was what mattered most.

The Nazi Party was sculpted by Hitler's main views formulated while he was in prison. He wrote these ideas in his book, Mein Kampf. The three main points were the conception of history as a race struggle influenced by Social Darwinism; antisemitism; and the idea that Germany needed to acquire land from Russia. All terrible ideas, but since the original party was all over the place, Hitler was able to mold it to his views- he was an artist after all. Once in power, he purged a whole bunch of folks in his own party who didn't agree with him.

I'm not going to compare the Democrats to the Nazis - but there are a lot more similarities to the current power mad Democrats to the brown shirts right now than those 'fascist Conservatives.'

Look at their record: intolerant of the opposition - not just the other party, but the people who are attempting to exercise their first amendment rights in public town halls. Calls from the White House for citizens to report any decenters. Their rhetoric... Speaker of the House calling citizens Nazis, O Symbols and redesigned government seals, and idol worship... Do you see a pattern emerging? What I'm getting at is that the Democrats better check that casual throwing of the word 'Nazi' around, okay?

I don't know - maybe it's the opposite? Maybe there are real people finally standing up to this Rahming of Change down people's throats? Or maybe the Speaker is right - there are AstroTurfed (manufactured 'grass roots' - get it?) actors being brought in by the insurance companies to make headlines at these 'Town-Halls' for Congressmen back home?

Or, let's go full retard and say that the folks in these meetings are actually all Obama supporters pretending to be against the Healthcare plan - and they're trying to make the people who are against this thing look really, really bad to everyone else... well that's crazy, isn't it? Sounds like something the Nazis would try... (Reichstag fire anyone?) Kind of like how I think the 'birther' movement isn't from the right side fringe at all.... ah, but that's full retard.

All I know is that Mrs. Pelosi should be purged by Obama after she gives a very heartfelt apology to my un-American ass.

Let's Play Nice

I would like to begin by apologizing to the readers of the blog about our mini-blowup yesterday. It's not my style to apologize normally; nor is it my style to try to mitigate the damage folks create when they rant. In fact, I love it. At some point yesterday, I got a very angry email (which I did not fully comprehend) from Howard claiming that we are some kind of "demonic censors who are afraid to hear the truth." I agree that once something is written here it kinda stays. You live with your mistakes. That's the fun and danger of posting to a blog. I assume that the header is what set Howard off and the new one should be much easier on his constitution (assuming he believes in Constitutions) to make a nicer header that would fill him with happy thoughts as he posts.

Another not nice item today is the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, they are in the NFL. I say this because commissioner Roger Goodell is not Bud Selig. The Patriots were caught videotaping signal calls from the sidelines. This is illegal. If you would like to steal signs in the NFL you need to do it the old fashion way, watching the other team's sidelines instead of your own for the whole game.

They are cold busted by one of their own former coaches who now is working for the NY Jets. Now it will be up to Goodell to deem an appropriate punishment. One might say that it is up to the dog to decide Michael Vick's fate. Goodell is not gentle.

It is suspected that he will take away some draft picks. I say, not good enough. This is the punishment I expect. They forfeit the game they were caught cheating with. No first day draft picks for 2008. No first round draft picks for 2009. I think that this would prevent any future cheating. Don't you?

Update: This is one funny ass board. The Patriot fans are saying that all is cool with this (as in "everybody does it"). My favorite was the poster that claims that the NFL just wants "parody in the league." Everyone else is working them into a lather. Good times.