[Editor's Note: You are not obliged to accept tyranny or treason or enslavement at the hands of 'elected' traitors. They must be removed from office and indicted for treason by their non adherence to the US Constitution. Their conduct is the very definition of treason against the constitution and against the American people. Organize locally, find a patriot candidate and push for recall or impeachment, as required by your state law. Don't sit there and wait for them to take you away to a concentration camp. Act now...Ken].

Posted by Rachel Neumann
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/traitorsrenewthetraitorsact28oct05.shtml
October 28, 2005

Forward courtesy of Donna

http://alternet.org/blogs/themix/27501/

Endless sunset

While you were, ah, distracted, Congress was quietly renewing every major provision of the Patriot Act.

Most of the provisions of the USA Patriot Act, including access to library records, were supposed to "sunset" this month, five years after the law's passing. Instead, both the House and the Senate have already voted to renew the entire act, with only minor revisions. While they're at it, they'd like to add some decidedly unpatriotic amendments to expand the death penalty.

These new amendments would let prosecutors shop around for another jury if the one they have is deadlocked on the death penalty; triple the number of terrorism-related crimes eligible for the death penalty; and authorize the death penalty for a person who gives money to an organization whose members kill someone, even if the contributor did not know that the organization or its members were planning to kill.

The Patriot Act was enacted during what President Bush called "a state of emergency." It wasn't even read by most of the members who voted for it. But the whole point of the sunset clause was to allow Congresspeople to actually read the bill and debate it in calmer times. Now, the Act is effectively being made permanent with little or no debate or discussion.

Still, the House and the Senate are still in negotiations over the final wording of the bill and so it hasn't been made final yet. The Bill of Rights Defense Commitee is asking people to make one last push to keep it from getting renewed. They list possible actions you can get involved in and ways to educate your communities about threats to civil liberties.

Rachel Neumann is Rights & Liberties Editor at AlterNet.

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Comments
powdermonkey
Posted by: powdermonkey on Oct 28, 2005 3:06 PM [Report this comment]
It surprises me to see no comments for this article. The Patriot Act should be uppermost in our thoughts.

The wording of the original Patriot Act was covertly changed before being printed in the middle of the night and handed off to congressmen the next morning, still bleeding wet ink. The three-hundred-plus page bill was not read through by even one lawmaker, but was simply rubber-stamped that same day in the fearful, call-to-arms period just after 9/11.

Since then, there has been little questioning or demand for rescinding any of the more ominous provisions contained in the law. Now, this administration is asking--no, demanding--that not only this oppressive law be extended, but want to add to it even further erosion of our rights and liberties. And that's not enough power for them yet. Bush has asked for the augmented law to be made permanent!

If we're not outraged over this one, we are NOT paying attention.

[« Reply to this comment]
» RE: powdermonkey Posted by: bikey
Mr.
Posted by: gramps on Oct 29, 2005 8:55 AM [Report this comment]
The Patriot act is similar to the Enabling Act passed during the Weimar Republic that allowed Hitler to take power. Take a lesson from history and totally reject this attempt to stifle democracy in the United States.

[« Reply to this comment]
» RE: Mr. Posted by: quatsch
So, Harriet was a herring...? Golly!
Posted by: chasaturn on Oct 29, 2005 10:54 AM [Report this comment]
Yup. They've got us running in circles believing everything on Fox. I just witnessed a story on CNN wherein they shamelessly pointed out that, strangely enough, NOBODY was making any money off the $2.60+ for a gallon of gas. The scary part was that this story was in response to public outcry after the big oil companies posted record profits. Let the public be assured that there's no price gouging going on. Sure, and any minute now, monkeys are gonna fly out of my...

[« Reply to this comment]
» RE: So, Harriet was a herring...? Golly! Posted by: quatsch
This bill could make every U.S. taxpayer...
...eligible for the Death Penalty.

[« Reply to this comment]
Blame our schools
Posted by: Garrick on Oct 29, 2005 11:01 PM [Report this comment]
The President takes office by swearing on a Bible to uphold the Constitution. This president has decimated the constitution. This president has fought to legalize torture (on foreigners so far).

Most people don't care about the constitution, "its all just politics" to them. Just like in the science vs "intelligent design" debate, a "debate" that would not exist if our schools where teaching students what science is and what it is not, our schools have failed to educate about our constitution and why it is important the way it is, what it stands for, and why it is important.

Why does history repeat itself, so we have to relive all the same lessons over and over again? Bad schools that are more concerned with making obedient consumers and worker bees rather than good citizens who are in charge of their country.

[« Reply to this comment]