Hoover's Spin
I shouldn't be surprised, should I? The USA Patriot Act is one of the most sweeping pieces of law-enforcement legislation ever enacted in America, and I've sweated over the infringements it allows on Constitutional values. Today I hear that the Republicans, Orrin Hatch leading the charge, are looking to enshrine the Act permanently. But it looks very possible indeed, with the Kyl-Schumer bill open to a rider from Hatch that would eliminate the expiration in 2005. Schumer? The senior -- Democratic -- senator from New York? Yes, he’s got a bill out there that would make getting a surveillance warrant even easier than the Patriot Act already does. Schumer's bipartisan bill is transparent pandering to the fear the federal government has been whipping up around the country since the WTC murders. More police powers are not the answer; improved intelligence and better foreign relations are, not that you'll see either under the Bush administration. And I don't live there anymore, so I can't vote against the turncoat creep next time he's up.