Congress to Make PATRIOT Act Permanent

955301 writes "As if it was unexpected, the New York Times (free reg...) has an article on attempts by our Congressional Republicans to eliminate the expiration of the Patriot Act. Everyone may thank Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah for getting this 9/11 snowball rolling, and the general population for our current leadership." There's another story in the SF Chronicle.

My God.

[B3ryllium]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm glad I'm Canadian.

Re:My God.

[Randy Rathbun]

You guys got any more room?

God willing.

[Pres. Ronald Reagan]

The Partiot Act has already helped to catch many terrorists. If it is made permanent, who knows how much good it will do in the future.

This is the well being of America here, people.

Doesn't matter

[Anonymous Coward]

We know you have french people up there, how soon till we bomb you too!?

Don't thank the general population....

[Anonymous Coward]

...they actually voted for Gore.

Be carefull now

[SubtleNuance]

It is quite obvious that ANYONE against this legislation is an Un-American Terrorist... YOU THERE! Where were you during this morning's Department of Homeland Security Briefing? LET ME SEE YOUR PAPERS!

Please, PLEASE listen to my .sig:

Chilling Effect

[Ribo99]

That chilling effect you feel is not your lack of trousers...

Re:I am confident

[VistaBoy]

Oh, but trust me...we'll get them when we challenge the amendment that makes challenging the amendment illegal...

Re:My God.

[Anonymous Coward]

Years ago I ran into an ignorant Texan who tried to say that Texas was larger than Alberta. *rolls eyes*

Re:Patriot Act seems to have worked.

[Steve B]

A year and a half without a terrorist act. Either the Patriot Act works or the terrorists have been in a good mood lately. My guess is the former.

There are no giant squids within a thousand miles of here. Either my anti-squid paperweight works or the squids have been in a good mood lately. My guess is the former.

Re:Doesn't matter

[aron_wallaker]

French people and French Fries!! That's right, those damned Canadians have refused to embrace "Freedom Fries", let the bombing commence!

Re:Slashdot's Liberal Bias

[sik0fewl]

Maybe they're just assuming all geeks are intelligent?

It won't last, don't get your panties in a bunch!

[mustangdavis]

The Patriot Act is unconstitutional. Period!


Seriously, it was another "Act" that was passed by King George all those years ago that severely limited our freedoms that caused a revolution in this country ... and things like this will only lead to the same end ...


As soon as this terrorist thing cools off a bit, this "Act" will be revisitied and decalred unconstitutional.


Any "law" that gives the government the right to spy on people will not last ... and if laws like this are not repealed, then other laws with similar or worse implications will slowly be approved. The people simply won't tollorate it!


I understand the need for security, but this has gone too far! What is next ... Patriot Act III: The gov't has the right to put cameras on every street corner, business, and suspected terrorist's home???


Now I know this is a bit off topic, but this "Patriot Act" series has to come to a screeching halt! PA II, not yet passed, allows the US government the right to add 5 years onto a jail sentence just for using encryption when commiting a "crime" .... so if you don't report your USE tax (state taxes for purchasing items on the internet w/o paying taxes at the time of purchase), then you're going to jail for atleast 5 years since the purchase was made encrypted and, if you fils your taxes online, that was encrypted as well! Also (I don't want to protect hax0rs, but ...) if you break into a server using SSH, there is 5 years as well!!


These "patriot" acts are just another example of big business paying off politicians to get rediculous laws into place that will protect their interests (even though it may LOOK like they are protecting the people).


... yet another reason the US "system" is in need of serious reform ... to prevent businesses from "funding" politicians to get these kind of crazy laws passed!


To the US gov't: Stop wasting time on this kind of stuff and go find bin Laden!

Re:Patriot Act seems to have worked.

[whterbt]

<obSimpsonsReference>

Homer: "Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol must be working like a charm."
Lisa: "That's specious reasoning, Dad."
Homer: "Thank you, dear."
Lisa: "By your logic I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away."
Homer: "Oh, how does it work?"
Lisa: "It doesn't work."
Homer: "Uh-huh."
Lisa: "It's just a stupid rock."
Homer: "Uh-huh."
Lisa: "But I don't see any tigers around, do you?"
Homer: "Lisa, I want to buy your rock."

</obSimpsonsReference>

Re:God willing.

[Anonymous Coward]

dilluted

I don't know. How much water did you soak him in?

Re:My God.

[Random Frequency]

sure, if you include the surface area of all those fat fucks.

Re:My God.

[Helmholtz Coil]

I'm a Canadian living in Texas for the time being. Every time a local asks me what I think of it I never miss a chance to say I like their "cute little state."

Re:For those that haven't done so already...

[_xeno_]

I think, somehow, he meant state representatives to the Congress of the United States of America. Like, our senators and representatives. And these guys make the federal laws, so I think they do have some power.

Now for some fun happy links about contacting your representatives/senates:

House of Representatives Web Page [house.gov] - note the "find your representative" form right on the upper-left corner of the page. Or use the Write Your Representative [house.gov] page.

Senate Web Page [senate.gov] - you should see the "Find your senators" right on the page. Senators contact information [senate.gov].

Re:I am confident

[B3ryllium]

What use is a phone call ...

... when you are unable to speak?

Re:I am confident

[outsider007]

The Supremes just upheld a law that makes burning a cross at a gathering a crime.

not surprising since they're all black, but when did diana ross' backup singers get influence in the legislative branch?

Re:My God its full of stars!

[suicidal]

Ask Clinton... Oh wait, he was just dodging the draft.

"and our general population"

[Fefe]

We can say a lot about Americans. That they are stupid egomaniac boars who don't know anything besides their own country, that their education system is horrible beyond repair, that they think with their cruise missiles, ...

but we can't blame them for the current government.

It was not voted by the majority of the US voters.

Re:My God.

[CommieLib]

I'm a Texan living in Texas. Whenever a Canadian asks me what I think of Canada, I say "I don't."

Re:What does this say about the "war on terrorism"

[Mr_Matt]

It's way too early for you to say the "war on terrorism" is a total flop. So far it's driven the Taliban out of Afghanistan and taken control of Iraq. This is in only about 15 months.

Mr_Motti: Don't try to frighten us with your apologist's ways, Operagost. Your sad devotion to hackneyed cheerleading has not helped you conjure up Osama Bin Laden, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the Iraqi hidden weapons of mass dest...

Darth Ashcroft: *choke* ...I find your lack of jingoism...disturbing...

Moff Cheney: Enough of this! Lapdog, release him!

Darth Ashcroft: As you wish.

*thunk*

Moff Cheney: This bickering is pointless. Lord Ashcroft will provide us with the location of all terrorist bases by the time the new PATRIOT Act is operational. We will then crush our opposition with one swift stroke.

Shrub: Yaay! Can we use the nookular weapons?

OK, so maybe it's not this bad yet, but the more we piddle around with every crooked third-world dictator, the more I'm reminded of the constant war-making in "1984". War is Peace! And we still haven't caught OBL yet...are we still trying, even?

Re:My God.

[Amazing Quantum Man]

<HUMOR>
Except, as we all know, the Canadian Km is worth only about 70% of a US KM!
</HUMOR>

Re:i know how we look

[shadowbearer]

Sheep don't moo. ;-)

SB

Re:My God.

[IIRCAFAIKIANAL]

I'm a Canadian living in Canada.
Whenever a...
Hey, donuts!

Re:Give me a break Slashdot!

[Steve B]

We haven't had a terrorist attack since 9/11. A testiment to how the system we have put in place WORKS.

*sigh* Do we have to shoot down this stupid argument again?

Oh, all right....

I have a magic anti-tiger keychain. I know it works because I haven't seen a single tiger since I started wearing it.

Re:My God its full of stars!

[Trolling4Dollars]

Ask Clinton... Oh wait, he was just dodging the draft.

Yeah. While Baby Bush was AWOL. Snorting up lines of coke and drunk off his ass, no doubt. Hypocrite.

Re:My God.

[jasonisgodzilla]

You mean there are actually other countries besides America? I mean sure, I knew there were some specks of dirts out there where shoes and soccer balls came from, and where we tested our bombs, but I never knew they actually had people and cultures. And you can find these places on a thing called a "map"??

Re:My God.

[RedCard]

Let me put this in perspective:
When confronted by a violent protester, our prime minister strangled the guy himself.

Conversely, Your texan president was nearly killed by a pretzel.

Enough said

Re:My God.

[Jazu]

>>Er, you do know that there is no right to free speech in the Canada constitution, right?

REGIME CHANGE!!!!

Re:How wrong, reminds me of Star Wars

[Anonymous Coward]

You DON'T want to know what goes through a truly messed up person's mind.

And yet, you took the time to tell us...

Re:My God.

[YetAnotherName]

70% of the Iraqi population owns a firearm.

And 65% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Now I see it...

[LittleBigLui]

... the "liberation" of Iraq wasn't about oil or WMDs (did anyone ever believe this?) but to bring DEMOCRACY to Iraq so you Americans can flee your police state. Now that's clever.

Re:Also bacon

[be-fan]

You should have used "French cut panties" as an example. Of course, then your example would be, "look at the french cut panties next time you're with you're girlfriend," and that probably wouldn't have made sense to most Slashdotters...