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From: EFF

Tell Congress to Rein in PATRIOT and Restore JUSTICE!

Congress voted at the end of February to extend the expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, but only for three months — giving liberty-loving citizens a new opportunity to continue to protest this dangerous law and demand reforms before the end of May. A message from you, opposing PATRIOT extension and demanding that Congress pass the important reforms contained in the JUSTICE Act, could make a critical difference. Help EFF defend civil liberties and stop Congress from rubber-stamping the PATRIOT Act!

There’s new hope in the PATRIOT debate.  Thanks to bipartisan opposition from Democratic leaders and an insurgent movement of conservative Republicans, PATRIOT provisions that were scheduled to expire at the end of February were only temporarily renewed for three months.  That means we have three more months to fight against permanent renewal and demand meaningful reform to the government’s broad surveillance powers under that law.  With debate over PATRIOT dominating Twitter and the blogosphere, and with both Democrats and Republicans demanding meaningful oversight and reform, this is our best chance in years to convince Congress to investigate how PATRIOT is being used and establish new checks and balances to protect against abuse.

That’s why Congress needs to hear from you now, as it begins the three-month process of conducting hearings and considering proposals for PATRIOT renewal and reform.  Congress needs to know now that you oppose PATRIOT extension and support meaningful reforms, like the powerful new PATRIOT oversight and accountability measures found in the JUSTICE Act bills that were introduced in the House (H.R. 4005) and Senate (S.1686) in 2009 during the last PATRIOT reauthorization debate. 

The JUSTICE Act not only contained critically important new checks and balances to prevent abuse of the three expiring PATRIOT provisions, but also proposed many meaningful reforms to a wide range of other, permanent PATRIOT powers.  The JUSTICE Act also began to address some of the serious civil liberties problems with the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which broadly enhanced the government’s authority to spy on your international phone calls and emails without warrants and may ultimately be more dangerous to civil liberties than anything in PATRIOT.

Congressional leaders have promised they won’t waste the next three months but instead will spend that time giving PATRIOT reform the attention it deserves.  It’s our job to make sure they keep that promise, and to demand that Congress rein in PATRIOT and restore JUSTICE.   So, please contact your Representative and Senators today!

More

From: Cnet

Under federal law, wiretaps may only be conducted in investigations of serious crimes, a list that was expanded by the 2001 Patriot Act to include offenses such as material support of terrorism and use of weapons of mass destruction. The administration is proposing to add copyright and trademark infringement, arguing that move “would assist U.S. law enforcement agencies to effectively investigate those offenses.”

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20043421-281.html#ixzz1GjUNNWr9

The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant.

-John Stuart Mill

The interior of the Wisconsin capital building is covered with banners protesting the budget cuts, the largest one proclaiming “Tax the Rich”! Please remember that the protestors in this case are by-in-large not the minorities on welfare so often villianized, but middle class white people incensed that they will no longer be able to live like the rich at public expense. During the “adjustment” phase of the budget crisis, be ready to re-evaluate who you consider “compatriates” and who you consider “adversaries”.

Harvard Professor Jeff Miron explains:

 

 

From: Reason

Peter Suderman | March 1, 2011