Patriot Act = Broader Powers Against Terrorism

[publius]

Oh, and every other crime under the sun...

 

[Tamara]

A senior official said investigators in the last two years had seized about $35 million at American borders in undeclared cash, checks and currency being smuggled out of the country. That was a significant increase over the past few years, the official said.

Remember, kids, "smuggled" means that they didn't have the money taped to their foreheads. If you try and hide cash in various nefarious places, such as your wallet, purse, suitcase, or carryon, it can be siezed, since that obviously makes you a drug courier or terrorist financier.

 

[publius]

Once anti-abortion protesters got labeled Racketeers under the RICO laws, I was finally able to get some previously supportive Republicans to rethink their support for that law.

I thought the PA was supposed to apply to terrorist agents of foreign powers or something. Once we see just how elastic the definition of terrorist can become, maybe some support will fall away from the PA as well.

 

[TallPine]

The Bush administration, which calls the USA Patriot Act perhaps its most essential tool in fighting terrorists, has begun using the law with increasing frequency in many criminal investigations that have little or no connection to terrorism.

SURPRISE !

 

[Quartus]

Yup. But still, there are a whole lot of frogs that haven't noticed the temperature increase.