Ok, now what?

Question

I recall many ppl stating until there were cases proving the Patriot Act was being abused, to shut up.

Ok.

"Justice Department Says F.B.I. Misused Patriot Act"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/washington/09cnd-fbi.html?ex=1331096400&en=7886c441c1a88284&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

"The F.B.I. has improperly used provisions of the USA Patriot Act to obtain thousands of telephone, business and financial records without prior judicial approval, the Justice Department’s inspector general said today in a report that embarrassed the F.B.I. and ignited outrage on Capitol Hill."

Answer 1

This harks back to the days of J. Edgar Hoover bulding secret files on militants and civil rights leaders while he and Tolson celebrated in his office with a good Scotch while wearing the latest spring fashion ;-)

Giving any government investigative agency a form letter that says "You must produce all of your files on "X" " is an open invitation to abuse.

With the fedral judiciary currently composed of judges who are willing to toe the administration line, I fail to see why it's necessary to have warrantless search and seizure. Some of these events took place under the proposition that the information was immediately required due to imminent threat. i am unaware of any situation where this was actually the case, and apparently, congress agrees with that assessment. Had warrants been required, I'm sure that many of these abuses would have been prevented, even with compliant judges.

Since we are not technically in a declared war, I propose the following:

Severely limit the powers in the Patriot act. Require that all warrantless searches be signed off by the head of the agencies, with subsequent submission submission to the judiciary for review.

Fire those administrators who approved these abuses. Gonzales is the ultimate "decider", so he's gone (after publically sacking 9 judges this week, and conspiring publicly to ruin their careers, he should be gone anyway)

Congress should immediately require that the agencies involved notify those who's privacy has been violated, so that they can decide on the personal level what they want to do. They should be informed who initiated the investigative request.

Having your personal information floating around a federal agency that doesn't seem to be able to keep track of it invites a whole raft of additional abuses. Someone should pay, particularly if it can be proven that these abuses were politically, or personally motivated.

That's a lot of work, considering the hundreds of thousands of people affected, and the lax record keeping. And it is going to ahmper legitimate anti-terrorist activities. These consequences should have been considered before the FBI rode rough shod over the constitution.

Answer 2

Now, we let our government continue to do its job. I know, I may be naive to believe our systems work, but I have faith in the Constitution and our Country. When people are breaking the law, and it is discovered, then we need to put a stop to it, and make sure they remain within the law. If laws are improperly being used, then those who have abused the law should be held accountable, which includes those who directed the inappropriate behavior (i.e., if it was under the direct authorization of the President, then he should also be accountable).

I believe that our system will find justice (although I understand it isn't always perfect).

I think people on all sides will agree we need to act w/in the law.

Here's to many more exciting days ahead!

Answer 3

I can't imagine being in a position of responsibility for the safety of 300 million people since 911. It seems as if our government went into total shock and, not knowing what to expect next, completely lost their sense of judgment and reason concerning the balance of power in this country. They didn't want to be held responsible in case of another attack, so they let Bush take over completely. Understandable, but a really bad idea.

It is difficult for me to believe that our CIA, FBI, and actually every government entity that was responsible for taking any action to protect our country failed so miserably on 911. Its as if someone shut them all down for a while.

I can't get passed that no matter how hard I try to understand what went on that day and the months before. I firmly believe we had good people, but they weren't allowed to follow through in their duties.

Whether Bush is trustworthy or not, the balance of power must be restored asap. There were reasons for the way our government was set up in the beginning and that should never have been changed. Things need to be restored before its too late. Get rid of that Patriot Act.

Answer 4

Folks I hate to be the one to tell you all this but abuse of power in our government has been going on for decades and you have to know it will continue don't you? You do know that there have been all sorts of documented illegal activities way back to the twenties and before, don't you? You do know that the "Patriot act" has been around for nearly 231 years now, don't you? Last, you do know that we only hear about a small fraction of the "infractions", don't you? Just my opinion>

Answer 5

Abuse of power is no stranger for the Bush administration, now what, identify those responsible and remove them from duty, then prosecute, If I break the law, I suffer the consequences, if those in authority break the law they should have to answer for it too. That is exactly what should happen to these people.

Answer 6

This recent finding just illustrates the point that the actions and policies of this administration can easily lead to abuse.

Of course, you'll now hear-- what do you have to hide?

Answer 7

i love the part where mr mueller accepts responsibility for the abuse - which probably means he'll get a promotion or a raise....
very interesting thx 4 sharing

Answer 8

Then let's go after them! I detest someone who abuses the rules or the system. It's unethical.

Answer 9

you know, to be honest, I think there are still a lot of people out there that don't care. They have been barraged with propaganda and a good many bought it hook line and sinker.

Answer 10

hopefully this will encourage congress to put some better oversight into legislation.