when Patriot II, a greatly expanded version of the original Patriot I anti-terrorist act, is introduced.
The introduction will come at a time of national crisis, perhaps after another terrorist attack (against us, not by us, silly) or during a war w/Iraq. There will be immense pressure to pass the abill w/out due consideration. That’s the conclusion of this in-depth review of the Patriot II bill, long denied to even exist.
Word of this even stronger assault on the constitution and civil rights was uncovered by the Center for Public Integrity in early February. The draft bill, dated 9Jan03, provides a chilling look at the future envisioned by the current regime. The proposed bill “will give the government broad, sweeping new powers to increase domestic intelligence-gathering, surveillance and law enforcement prerogatives, and simultaneously decrease judicial review and public access to information.”
Finally, the article finishes with a conclusion I find only too plausible, especially given how Patriot I was slipped in during a time of great national crisis:
“Cole found it disturbing that there have been no consultations with Congress on the draft legislation.