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Many a Patriot Act debate has occurred here at Technosailor. Long time commenter, Mike, likes to defend the Patriot Act as being completely benign for law-abiding Americans. And I generally argue ruthlessly that the Patriot Acts far-sweeping provisions that allow law enforcement to, when push comes to shove, search, seize, detain or investigate anyone they please for whatever reason they please. Sure, that’s not the intent of the law, and it was never the reason the justice department would put out there. Even the goons in Congress would shoot that overt infringement down. But (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) if you can dress it up behind a war on terrorism or homeland security, we’ll go along with you an anything…. Remember, we need to sell our position to the voters back home, okay? Don’t make us look like rats.

True conservatives looked at the Patriot Act as an act of unnecessary, and unconstitutional infringement on the “right to privacy”, which Roe v. Wade made Constitutional, by penumbra. Neoconservatives saw it as a way to put their grubby paws on the reins of power on the domestic front.

Reuters, a notoriously liberal trashcan, published an excellent article today about how the Pentagon “accidentally” retained 1,500 records of anti-war activists, domestic violence reports, etc.

The official said the database included police reports and law enforcement tips in a legitimate domestic security effort, but that it had mistakenly swept up and kept information on people who were not threats to launch terror attacks.

Oh, but wait…. they are apologizing.

Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Stephen Cambone planned to send a letter to Congress explaining the error and promising to clean up the database and protect the privacy of innocent persons, the official added.

Gee… I thought the Patriot Act didn’t infringe on law-abiding citizens?

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Written by Aaron Brazell on December 15, 2005

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