The Patriot Act has become a little bit more patriotic.
A federal judge ruled the powers of secret searches and wiretaps granted by the act violate the Fourth Amendment.
Says federal Judge Ann Aiken (a new hero of mine):
"For over 200 years, this nation has adhered to the rule of law - with unparalleled success. A shift to a nation based on extra-constitutional authority is prohibited, as well as ill-advised."
In response to the U.S. Attorney General's office's request to dismiss the case, Aiken said it was "asking this court to, in essence, amend the Bill of Rights, by giving it an interpretation that would deprive it of any real meaning. This court declines to do so."
The case came after the FBI screwed up and arrested an innocent lawyer for the Madrid train bombings in 2004. They realized their mistakes eventually, but not before bugging his house, photocopying all of his personal and business files and wiretapping his phones.
Our victim got $2 million from the federal government. Good for him, bad for taxpayers.
For Der Fuehrer's take on the Patriot Act, see the White House Web site.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment