Xanga Archive

So I’ve been meaning to check up on this for awhile now, and have actually tried a few times before, but never been able to find a page that was very reader-friendly and informative.

Anyway, that which I refer to is the USA PATRIOT act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism act).

It was suggested by David Bazan, at Cornerstone, that everyone should find out everything they can about that act, so that they can realize what is going on. Anyway, it sounded important, so, I figured I would look into it. I found a site that is pretty informative….. Just to get you interested enough to go and check it out, this is something that the site has to say about one result of the USA PATRIOT act:

“”SNEAK AND PEEK” WARRANTS

This is another provision that not only does not protect Americans from terrorism, but rather exposes us to incursions from our own government.

This one enables the government to go into your house when you are not home, look around, take pictures, and even seize your property, all without telling you.

This is the movie, “Enemy of the State,” come to life. Don’t get used to this, people. It’s an outrage. It’s your home. It’s your privacy. It’s your life.

Law enforcement is still required under this provision to obtain a warrant to enter, but it no longer has to give you the timely notice which both the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Fourth Amendment require. The only justification law enforcement now needs to enter without notice is that notice might “seriously jeopardize an investigation or unduly delay a trial.”

This clause is actually adopted from existing law (18 USC 2705). However, the USA Patriot Act sneakily changes the meaning of the existing law, since the delayed-notice exception was previously only applied to communications in the custody of a third party. Now, this authority is available to law enforcement for any kind of search and in any kind of criminal case.

Other grounds for delaying notice encompassed by this provision have some semblance of meaning. For example, the possibility that if the target had notice, he might destroy evidence or flee prosecution. But, jeopardizing an investigation? This is the snake eating its own tail.”

You can (and probably should) read more about it at http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/04.02A.JVB.Patriot.htm.

To be perfectly honest, at this point I don’t know what to believe in terms of what is going on with our government, etc. There are conflicting reports going on all the time… the truth is becoming very difficult to discern…. but at the very least, i think this is cause for concern.

And… I will close this with the song David Bazan played which relates to it.

(Note: I do not neccesarily fully agree with the song, as I have said… I do not know where I stand here…)

“Calling all rednecks to lay down their sluggers
Turn their attention from beating the buggers
Pick up machine guns and kill camel ****ers.
Backwoods nation.

Calling all doctors of spin and the smoke screen
To whip the new “hatriots” into a frenzy
Of good versus evil ignoring the history
Of the Backwoods Nation

Ain’t it a shame
When due process
Stands in the way of swift justice

Calling all frat’ boys
To trade in their hazings
Their keggers and cocaine
And casual date raping
For cabinet appointments
And rose-garden tapings

Backwoods… Backwoods….
Backwoods Nation
(You have not been paying attention.)”

-“Backwoods Nation,” by Pedro the Lion