Obama To use Executive Orders for Immediate Impact

The Patriot Act was put into place to help “protect the Homeland from IslamoFacists” as you previously stated; however, the 200+ people arrested at the 2008 RNC were not your so called “IslamoFacists.” They were mostly students protesting the Iraq war. They posed no danger to the homeland security. The arrests were way out of line and uncalled for. The Patriot Act if so imposed was simply to instill fear in this situation.

I would agree with you that we see this country differently. I believe this country is one of the greatest countries but I do believe we have lost our way to some degree.

Many in the world used to look up to us as an example. When 911 happened the world was behind us. Afghanistan was the target and everyone knew it. When Bush opted to broaden his scope and go into Iraq is when the world started to separate itself from us. Many of our allies wanted no part of it.

Many people around the world were relieved when they saw that Barack Obama had been elected. They now knew "Big Brother's" war mongering days were soon coming to an end. Now that Barack Obama is soon to become the President, our allies will return. This should speak volumes.

We are here to help keep the peace and the world will help us do that. The global awareness as to the threat of terrorism has increased dramatically since 911.

Here at home and abroad the conjoined effort to stop terrorism is the reason that we have not been attacked since. If Condoleezza Rice would have taken the memo she received two months prior as to Osama Bin Laden's intent just a little more seriously, we may have avoided 911.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000282....

Thanks to 911 if a memo like that was received today it would be taken seriously. Too bad it wasn't then.

As far as protecting my ass goes, I think it will be fine. I have taken pretty good care of it thus far. Barack Obama will not hesitate to use force when it is warranted and in doing so, your ass as well as mine will be just fine.

I believe we should agree to disagree and let history solve this one!
Peace

JuliusBC...What we see here is a fundamental difference in the way you and I view this country.

You see the institution of expanded law enforcement intiatives as necessarily evil in intent, particularly in the hands of a president who you view as inherently evil.

I am of the exact opposite mindset, particularly in light of the lack of any credible evidence to support your wild assertions.

You chose to point to the *recess is over* style arrest of 200 sitters in St Paul as the heinous example of Bushs SS. Boy, they sure looked scary. They probably hurt some peoples fealings, too.

What a joke.

I grew up in the 60s and you are going to have to show me a good deal more than THAT as an example of a police state gone wild.

Also, your assertion that the American people live in fear of the Bush SS is simply not true, with the possible exception of you classically paranoid lefties.

You seem to conveniently forget the reason for those intitiatives in the first place...to protect the Homeland from IslamoFacists. So far, so good!

To exert such resources simply to thwart your freedom of expression is purely napoleonic on your part and outright laughable.

We have real work to do, protecting your ass. Run along now and try to stay out of the way.

My initial post referenced President-elect Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas.

My point extended is there are many other Bushisms that will come under revision or removal. I am sure the Patriot Act will be one of them as this is one of the main sources where in the throat slitting of the Constitution took place.

Stemming from the content and broad powers granted in the Patriot Act, many questionable things were allowed to take place.

The arrests during the RNC this year were of an SS troop mentality. If you watched the video you would see what I mean. Many of the people were simply sitting on the ground. In many cases they were merely observing.

As stated above: "During this period of time, a great deal of fear had been instilled into the minds of American people. To stand up against anything the Bush administration put out was considered unpatriotic and was border line treason. The American public gradually managed to sidestep this SS troop type of tirade."

The Bush administration and their policies and or mindsets they have governed with insights this type of behavior. The Patriot Act extends this latitude to those in power if so inclined.

Many of my responses have been in addressing your comments, starting with your first: "JuliusBC.....If this were true, you and many who post here would already be in jail. Indeed, this site would not exist."

The full spectrum of the Patriot Act has not been employed as of yet but the ground work has been set. This is why it needs to be addressed and either revised on a grand scale or completely dissolved.

Hopefully, Barack Obama will address this early on in his first 100 days by using his executive powers which takes us back to my initial posting point.

In re-reading your posts, your stated point was the horrid state of civil liberties under Bush and the Patiort Act (among others). Something about slitting the throat of the Constitution.

And now you draw some weird, relativist argument that harmlessly arresting 200 sitters in St Paul is far more heinous than the 68 DNC Riots because we should have evolved further as a government since then?!?!

Do you ever stop and listen to yourself?

The REAL point is that Bush and the The Patriot Act are not the source of your alleged civil rights troubles. The Feds have ALWAYS been able to mess you over...nothing special about Bush.

DS53, you just proved my point! This is 2008 not 1968 we supposedly have advanced not regressed.

It is not about broken bones and blood. It is about freedom of expression, speech, and peaceful demonstration.

You missed the whole point, but that is to be expected.

Based on this election, it would seem your kind got their bones broken and blood let and your so called pussies are scrambling to find shelter and a place to call home.

The gene pool is changing and you don't appear to be in it.

Ya buncha pussies!! Oooooo.....200 people arrested.....ooooo....Halliburton!

You call that infringement?!?!? Where was the blood? Where are the lobotomy scars? Where are the re-education camps?

You ever see the video of Chicago in 68? Now THATs a protest!! Head crackin, broken arms, blood.

But wait....how can that be???? There was no Patriot Act in 1968!!

Democrat President and Democrat Mayor busting it all over those anti-war protesters. They dont need no stinkin Patriot Act!

The righties fear mongerin exposed.
http://crooksandliars.com/media/play/wmv/6438/23030

Dissent, Freedoms, Privacy Under Sustained Assault by Bush

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

Thursday, February 16, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders called on all Americans to recognize and stand up to various attacks by the Bush White House on the right to political dissent.

Greens noted expanded government power to block and crush protest, President Bush's order for the NSA to spy on U.S. citizens without obtaining warrants in accord with FISA, surveillance of library records, and evidence (such as the no-fly list) that the U.S. government is compiling databases on Americans who disagree with Bush policies.

Among more recent and less known threats:

Arrests of demonstrators at "special events of national significance"

A new provision in the USA Patriot Act bill would allow authorities to arrest demonstrators on felony charges at any "special event of national significance" if they are caught breaching a security perimeter. The measure would extend the power of the Secret Service, allowing agents to arrest people who enter an arbitrarily defined restricted area at an event, even when the President or any other official protected by the Secret Service isn't present. No hearings are planned on the provision.

"The new provision will empower the Secret Service to declare any area at any given time the site of an event of 'national significance' in order to arrest people expressing unwelcome political ideas and charge them with a felony," said Jody Grage Haug, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States and founder of the Nonviolent Peacekeeper Pool in Seattle. "It'll crush the kind of civil protest that was necessary to advance the civil rights movement. The purpose of the new Patriot Act provision is not security, but intimidation and suppression of political speech."

Greens are urging Congress to vote down the current version of the USA Patriot Act, citing the 'security perimeter' provision as well as other warrantless invasions of privacy.

Freedom is not free. If you choose to put it out there, you need to be prepared for disagreement and, possibly, rammifications.

I will defend the Chix right to say anything they want to say. I will also defend the right of anyone to disagree, not buy their music, boycott their concerts and pressure radio stations to not play their music.

THAT, is freedom of speech...across the board!

In no way, shape or form should physical intimidation be involved and those who spoke of harm are to be soundly thumped.

As far as mass fear is concerned, well lets just say that its complete lefty fear-mongering fantasy. Even Ward Churchill kept his job.

*Essentially, Bush has slit the throat of the Constitution and with it he endangered many of the rights so treasured by the American people.

The media and the public are finally free to express their 1st Amendment rights.*

JuliusBC.....If this were true, you and many who post here would already be in jail. Indeed, this site would not exist.

Your fear-mongering may keep the rabid lefties all fired up, but it will not serve America.

Yes, more stiff gun laws are almost always part of being a democrat, especially one from the predominantly urban areas of Chicago.
I, myself believe fully in the 2nd amendment.
Although, an AK-47? Yeah i'm not sure anybody really needs a gun like that.

Otherwise, Obama will be much more tied up, along with the congress, in dealing with the economy, two wars, Iran, and apparently how to deal with Russia as of the other day. So my guess is any new gun laws will be on the back burner and even if implemented the decision would most likely be a state option. On the whole the chance of people's guns being confiscated out of their homes will most likely not happen, at least not anytime soon.

I am a die hard democrat and have a great love for guns. I have never fired a full automatic weapon before but I must admit it does sound fun.

I used to be an avid hunter a few years back and can honestly say I have experienced the thrill of the hunt. There were times when a fully automatic weapon would have improved my ability to bring back some meat.

However, I don't see the need for this type of weapon based on the current hunting environments. The risk is the nut jobs that occasionally crawl out of the wood work and spoil it for others such as yourself.

I am not a member of the NRA but I am opposed to total gun control. I 100% support the right to keep and bear arms but to protect the innocent I support safety and prudence in the same.

I don't believe the 2nd Amendment will be a big issue in Barack Obama's administration. There are much bigger fish to fry. I would be surprised if it even comes up.

I just hope I will retain my 2nd ammendment rights.