Obama, in Europe, signs Patriot Act extension

Obama, in Europe, signs Patriot Act extension

WASHINGTON (AP) - Minutes before a midnight deadline, President Barack Obama signed into law a four-year extension of post-Sept. 11 powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists.

“It’s an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat,” Obama said Friday after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

With Obama in France, the White House said the president used an autopen machine that holds a pen and signs his actual signature. It is only used with proper authorization of the president.

Congress sent the bill to the president with only hours to go on Thursday before the provisions expired at midnight. Votes taken in rapid succession in the Senate and House came after lawmakers rejected attempts to temper the law enforcement powers to ensure that individual liberties are not abused.

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Obama, in Europe, signs Patriot Act extension

Wait…what? Barack Hussein Obama signed, sort of, autopen counts I guess, the Patriot Act back into law with a FOUR YEAR extension?

Excuse me? But didn’t the Democrats all determine that the Patriot Act and George W. Bush were the very definition of ‘evil incarnate’? Wouldn’t Obama signing that extension, by default, make him ‘evil incarnate’ in the eyes of the Democrats as well?

Guilt by association perhaps? It seems that idea doesn’t exist in the Dem mind-set.

I am aware that many areas of the Patriot Act cause concerns on all sides of the political spectrum, and if not administered correctly could lead to gross acts of injustice and abuse of Constitutional rights, IF not administered correctly, but to the best of MY knowledge, those abuses just haven’t happened, under the Bush administration, and so far, under the Obama administration.

If administered properly, the Patriot Act gives the U.S. government great latitude in the prosecution of operations against the enemies of this nation, ie: terrorists, even though our illustrious president, Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t want to call them terrorists.

Maybe I’m too trusting, maybe I’m exhibiting some degree of naivete, but it is my belief that we won’t see those gross abuses against American citizens that are true Patriots and have no ill intent against this nation and have no plans or desires to commit heinous acts of terrorism against Her.

I believe that we have Law Enforcement officials, federal, state and local, that would refuse to accept, initiate and enact operations against American citizens that are nothing more than loyal American citizens. I don’t see the vast majority of our fine officers, on ALL levels, taking up arms against, or falsely imprisoning innocent Americans should the winds of American politics take a hard left turn towards dictatorship. I don’t see the vast majority of our military personnel accepting orders against the American people either.

Again, I hate to over use a phrase but, the vast majority of our Law Officers and Soldiers, past and present, are indeed Oath Keepers. It’s that simple.

The roving wiretaps and access to business records are small parts of the USA Patriot Act enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But unlike most of the act, which is permanent law, those provisions must be renewed periodically because of concerns that they could be used to violate privacy rights. The same applies to the “lone wolf” provision, which was part of a 2004 intelligence law.

There are *safety* provisions built in, as there should be, and I think my readers know, I’m not that naive. I know abuses can occur, that brings the Second Amendment and American gun owners to the forefront of this Patriot Act thing too. Abuses would be met with force from well armed American Patriots, as would any effort by a dictatorial regime to do away with the Second Amendment itself.

I also know that many in this nation wouldn’t stand and fight no matter what rights were abused or were being taken away from them, that has always been a fact of life in America, but as stated previously, Oath Keepers, Conservative military and police members and the armed America would stand and defend this nation from ALL enemies, whether those enemies be foreign or domestic!

“The Patriot Act has been used improperly again and again by law enforcement to invade Americans’ privacy and violate their constitutional rights,” said Laura W. Murphy, director of the ACLU Washington legislative office.

I would certainly love to see a detailed list of these abuses that the ACLU claims to have occurred.

Again, I know there is always a possibility of abuse, that possibility is in place with every law the United States has ever enacted, but the ACLU says, “The Patriot Act has been used improperly again and again” but I see NO statistics, links to statistics or any form of citation to that statement. I don’t see it as an *opinion* either, coming from the ACLU I see it as a statement.

Look at the folks that are against the Patriot Act, Rand Paul, many Democrats and Libertarians, and the ACLU. But then look at who supports the Patriot Act.

I may be proven wrong, I have been wrong before, but as I said when the PA was passed initially, if you haven’t broken the law, if you’re not trying to subvert this nation and it’s way of life, if you’re not trying to commit acts of terror, if you’re not supporting those that would commit acts of terror, what’s the problem?