Act II: (a little bit) Less of the Same
The House has joined in renewing the Patriot Act. I just want make a couple of points and observations.
Kucinich is one of my all time Heroes in politics. I've voted for him before and will again if I ever move back to his District. I ALSO take a harder look than normal at every stand he makes because, let's face it, my boy is quite a bit to the Left of the political center. I want his like in Congress for the balance and compassion he provides that body. As I've said, I also take his takes with a chaser and a pinch o' salt.
That's all I've got on this right now. I don't like the silliness inherent in thinking we need to create a whole new Act bureaucracy in order to do what previous existing institutions have been charged with for decades already. The whole shebang is disingenous and a blatant sign of the incompetence of quite a few of our recent Executive branches. There has always been a Chief of Intelligences who is responsible for coordinating all of the various agencies under that aegis. His job title is President.
Too many of them are just woefully unskilled at handling the interrelationships and affairs of spooks, and far too ignorant for the job of espionage logistics. I honestly, sincerely do not know why this is, precisely.
With 16 provisions of the Patriot Act set to expire on Friday, the bill to renew the law would make 14 of them permanent and extend two others by four years.That's the main thrust of this approval. Wikipedia has more on what those provisions entail, and, whilst I am seriously against the entire thing on the principal that our government just needs to get its act together and work more congenially amongst its varying agencies, in the current self-created atmosphere of fear and confusion, renewal with modifications is not that bad an occurrence.
Rep. John Conyers, of Michigan, top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, led the opposition to the bill to bolster civil liberties safeguards, saying it was insufficient.Conyers I trust as an authority who really understands compromise and what it means to have gone too far. His record stands up well under scrutiny for moderation and reconciliation.
Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat agreed, charging that the legislation "offers only a superficial reform that will have little if any impact on safeguarding our civil liberties."
Kucinich is one of my all time Heroes in politics. I've voted for him before and will again if I ever move back to his District. I ALSO take a harder look than normal at every stand he makes because, let's face it, my boy is quite a bit to the Left of the political center. I want his like in Congress for the balance and compassion he provides that body. As I've said, I also take his takes with a chaser and a pinch o' salt.
That's all I've got on this right now. I don't like the silliness inherent in thinking we need to create a whole new Act bureaucracy in order to do what previous existing institutions have been charged with for decades already. The whole shebang is disingenous and a blatant sign of the incompetence of quite a few of our recent Executive branches. There has always been a Chief of Intelligences who is responsible for coordinating all of the various agencies under that aegis. His job title is President.
Too many of them are just woefully unskilled at handling the interrelationships and affairs of spooks, and far too ignorant for the job of espionage logistics. I honestly, sincerely do not know why this is, precisely.
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