Balkin on Patriot Act II
From the popunder-ad-spewing (thank God for Chimera’s ad-blocking features) and silly-ass-login-requiring (cypherpunk98/cypherpunk) L.A. Times web site comes Professor Jack M. Balkin’s nice analysis of the Justice department’s proposed update to the US Patriot Act. Apparently the plan was to introduce the new, much scarrier version of the legislation once we were at war with Iraq, when public support for its “security enhancing” features would be higher, and criticism of its impact on civil rights would be easier to paint as a treasonous failure to “support our troops.” Choice quote from Balkin’s essay: The Bush administration and Ashcroft have become addicted to secrecy and are drunk on power; the more they obtain, the more they demand. A copy of the Justice department’s draft bill (which the folks at Justice repeatedly denied existed, until it was leaked) is available at the web site of the Center for Public Integrity, also. Read it while you can, citizens.
