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How Often Too Far?
Posted by PETE ABEL in Uncategorized.
May 7th, 2009 | 16 responses
May 7th, 2009 | 16 responses
It may be an isolated incident, but that doesn’t make it any less frightening. Conservatives, of all people, should be outraged. Just ask Mickey Edwards.
For my part, one of the key reasons I was initially drawn to the conservative movement was my disdain for concentrated power, my fear of Orwell’s 1984 some day becoming reality. If the story linked above doesn’t remind you of that novel, I suspect nothing will.
[H/t Andrew Sullivan.]
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16 Responses to “How Often Too Far?”
I agree with Dcarney above, it’s a non-partisan issue. The Patriot Act needs to be seriously trimmed back or repealed before it gets completely morphed into a Orwellian tool.
Why do you hate America?
ROTFLMAO…
What goes around comes around…
Good to see your sensitive side, DQ. I guess two wrongs make a right?
This has nothing to do with being a conservative or liberal, and everything to do with the Patriot Act, which is really a misnomer. The Patriot Act was the beginning of the illegal wiretapping, suspension of habeas corpus, and general intrusion of lawlessness into our society by the Bush government.
I agree with Dcarney above, it's a non-partisan issue. The Patriot Act needs to be seriously trimmed back or repealed before it gets completely morphed into a Orwellian tool.
I agree with dcarney as well, but something about this doesn't pass the smell test. There is part of this story we're not getting.
I had the same feeling, DaGoat, but who knows. I do think it's good that some Congresscritters are putting forth legislation to address what may be areas of overreach in the Patriot act. At this point it looks like Flake and Paul have cosponsored with a larger group of Democrats, and if the bill is well written then I hope it gets further GOP support because it really should not be a partisan issue.
Republicans called the act the Patriot Act so that they could rhetorically beat up any one who didn't support it. Now it's coming back to bite their supporters in the ass. what's not to enjoy?
hung on their own petard…
From the link. Well said:
“The mantle of conservatism has been taken over by people whose beliefs and policies threaten the entire constitutional system of government. By abetting an imperial presidency, [Mickey Edwards] contends, so-called “conservatives” have gutted the system of checks and balances, abandoned due process, and trampled upon our cherished civil liberties. Today's conservatives endorse unprecedented assertions of government power—from the creation of secret prisons to illegal wiretapping. Once, they fought to protect citizens from government intrusion; today, they seem to recognize few limits on what government can do. The movement that was once the Constitution's—and freedom's—strongest defender is now at risk of becoming its most dangerous enemy.”
Now it's coming back to bite their supporters in the ass. what's not to enjoy?
That it's a 16 year old kid?
Kansas City 13-Year-Old to Stand Trial for Murder as Adult – WDAF
14-Year-Old Charged as Adult in Murder
If children can be tried as adults, I am sure he'll manage.
I'm not sure I see the problem. A bomb threat was called in from his IP using voip. All we have is the mom saying it was a hack. Say someone snuck in your house and made a the same call wouldn't you have got the same response? What exactly did the patriot act do but maybe make it faster and easier to track the threat to it's source? I'm not defending anything but really there isn't the info needed to be saying anything about squat.
I'm all for limiting the scope of an overreaching law, but calling this an “isolated incident” is almost amusing. These “incidents” aren't isolated, this just happened to a white and presumably Christian American. I'm sure if you talked to the Muslim American community they'd be happy to inform you that patriotic Americans have been detained, their rights denied and their families not allowed to see or defend them. But that doesn't scandalize anyone because merely being Muslim makes you suspicious on the spot. If this kid was named Haashim most folks would be a lot less quick to say “this must be a mistake”. While I understand the reasons for such assumptions, a law cannot be dismissed when it goes after people you “just know” can't be the target and it cannot be accepted when it goes after people that you “just know” should be the target.
We don't even know they over reached yet! His mommy saying he didn't do it is not enough to declare him inocent.
Hell I just googled him and the patriot act has nothing to do with his arrest.
http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/44544152.html
Woops the kid was taking money to phone in bomb threats so kids would get out of school.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/05/teenag…
The kids a scumbag hood and mommy is white trash and none of this has squat to do with the patriot act.
Thanks for the update, EEllis. As often happens, things that don't pass the sniff test really are emitting rotten odors.
Here's the relevant portion from EElis' second link:
But it's worth reading the whole thing to see the gobsmacking gall of the mother.