Revolutionary Times

[ImmortalDragon]

http://girlinshortshorts.blogspot.com/2007/10/revolutionary-times.html

We all learned in high school how one of the things which led to the American Revolution was the Stamp Act. This was a law which provided that anytime an American used a piece of paper, it had to bear a stamp. These stamps were purchased at an outfit similar to a post office, which was manned by British soldiers.

But how did the British know whether the people were abiding by this law? They passed a law called the Writs of Assistance. This permitted British soldiers to write up warrants, which would permit them to go and search a person's house for unstamped paper. There was no requirement they go to a judge to show there was reason to believe the citizen had unstamped paper. If in executing these warrants they found a deck of unstamped playing cards, it was off to jail. If in the process they found some untaxed rum, same result.

And we fought a revolution over that.

But, America has come a long ways since the days of King George.

It all started in 1978 when the Congress, under Jimmy Carter, enacted the FISA legislation. FISA is a secret court which meets in the basement of the Justice Department. Under FISA the government can obtain a warrant to wiretap any person who there is reason to believe is a foreign agent. There is no requirement they show reason to believe the person has engaged in a crime or espionage, which is necessary in courts above ground. But, in an effort to get around the requirements of the Fourth Amendment, the law was written so that information obtained with these warrants could not be used in a criminal prosecution.

That same Congress then passed the Right to Financial Privacy Act. Whenever the government calls a piece of legislation the “Right to Privacy” you know it has nothing to do with privacy.

The Right to Financial Privacy Act permitted government agents to self-write a warrant or subpoena for financial records called a National Security Letter. These could only be issued to “financial institutions.” There is no requirement that a judge be involved. However, a banker could still question the letter and notify the person whose records were sought. If challenged the government would then have to go to court to get the records. To meet constitutional muster, and to quiet civil libertarian crybabies, it also provided the information obtained could not be used in a criminal prosecution.

Fast forward to October, 2001. In the aftermath of 9-11 Congress passed the Patriot Act. No one read the Act before its passage. And few have read it today. I tried to read the whole thing one time, but it is impossible if you do not have a copy of the United States Criminal Code with you. Most of the passages in the Act do such things as change “or” to “and” in section so and so, and etc. But, the parts I have been able to read should gag every single American.

The Patriot Act changed FISA and the Right to Financial Privacy Act amongst other things. Government agents are now required to use information obtained with FISA and National Security Letters in criminal prosecutions. To heck with the Fourth Amendment.

And no longer can a banker refuse to go along with one of these self-written warrants. In fact, he or she is committing a felony if they refuse, or even tell anyone they received one. The challenges to this requirement always have the plaintiff as “anonymous” because to reveal their name to a federal judge would be a felony.

And if one day you come home from work and your house is ransacked, you will probably call the police to report a burglary. What you might hear is “sorry—it was federal agents that invaded your house." The Patriot Act permits federal agents to break into your home and plant a listening device without obtaining a warrant from a judge.

It did a few other things, like making it a felony if you reveal what went on in a grand jury, unless you are a prosecutor, then you can leak to your heart's content.

On December 13, 2003 when everyone's attention was riveted on the capture of Saddam Hussein, Bush signed the Intelligence Authorization Act .

Remember how federal agents are permitted to issue self-written search warrants to financial institutions, called National Security Letters. This Act redefined what a financial institution is. Since December 13, 2003 the government can issue these self-written warrants to a bank, trust company, credit company, stock broker, insurance agent, delicatessen, hotel, hospital, bodega, HMO, jeweler, restaurant, lawyer and the post office. And they must comply and can not even tell anyone they received the letter.

The nail in the coffin was the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Since the beginning of Anglo-American Jurisprudence, when a defendant was found not guilty they were released. But, now, even if one of these tribunals finds the person innocent, they can continue to be held if the president has designated them an “enemy combatant.” And note an “enemy combatant” can also be an American citizen.

One other thing you may not know. There are two ways to turn on your cell phone. You can push the power button. The other way, is for the NSA or FBI to power it up if they wish to eavesdrop on your conversations.

In August of this year Congress passed the Protect America Act, which permits the government to permanently tap into the nation's communications networks.

To date, the vast majority of courts that have considered this stuff have found it to be unconstitutional. But the courts can not keep up with Congress, the president and his inventive information gathering agencies.

Congress is so weak and timid they go along with anything. So if Americans are concerned they must elect a president that truly cares about freedom and the constitution. The problem is that, just like in 1776, a large number of the people are Tories and an equal number indifferent.

It really is getting to be about time for a revolution:

Being an optimist, I believe it is not too late to work within the system,

But if we don't-- eventually there will be no choice but to shoot the ****s.

Theres a video in the blank area, click the link to see it.

[ImmortalDragon]

http://girlinshortshorts.blogspot.com/2007/10/revolutionary-times.html

We all learned in high school how one of the things which led to the American Revolution was the Stamp Act. This was a law which provided that anytime an American used a piece of paper, it had to bear a stamp. These stamps were purchased at an outfit similar to a post office, which was manned by British soldiers.

But how did the British know whether the people were abiding by this law? They passed a law called the Writs of Assistance. This permitted British soldiers to write up warrants, which would permit them to go and search a person's house for unstamped paper. There was no requirement they go to a judge to show there was reason to believe the citizen had unstamped paper. If in executing these warrants they found a deck of unstamped playing cards, it was off to jail. If in the process they found some untaxed rum, same result.

And we fought a revolution over that.

But, America has come a long ways since the days of King George.

It all started in 1978 when the Congress, under Jimmy Carter, enacted the FISA legislation. FISA is a secret court which meets in the basement of the Justice Department. Under FISA the government can obtain a warrant to wiretap any person who there is reason to believe is a foreign agent. There is no requirement they show reason to believe the person has engaged in a crime or espionage, which is necessary in courts above ground. But, in an effort to get around the requirements of the Fourth Amendment, the law was written so that information obtained with these warrants could not be used in a criminal prosecution.

That same Congress then passed the Right to Financial Privacy Act. Whenever the government calls a piece of legislation the “Right to Privacy” you know it has nothing to do with privacy.

The Right to Financial Privacy Act permitted government agents to self-write a warrant or subpoena for financial records called a National Security Letter. These could only be issued to “financial institutions.” There is no requirement that a judge be involved. However, a banker could still question the letter and notify the person whose records were sought. If challenged the government would then have to go to court to get the records. To meet constitutional muster, and to quiet civil libertarian crybabies, it also provided the information obtained could not be used in a criminal prosecution.

Fast forward to October, 2001. In the aftermath of 9-11 Congress passed the Patriot Act. No one read the Act before its passage. And few have read it today. I tried to read the whole thing one time, but it is impossible if you do not have a copy of the United States Criminal Code with you. Most of the passages in the Act do such things as change “or” to “and” in section so and so, and etc. But, the parts I have been able to read should gag every single American.

The Patriot Act changed FISA and the Right to Financial Privacy Act amongst other things. Government agents are now required to use information obtained with FISA and National Security Letters in criminal prosecutions. To heck with the Fourth Amendment.

And no longer can a banker refuse to go along with one of these self-written warrants. In fact, he or she is committing a felony if they refuse, or even tell anyone they received one. The challenges to this requirement always have the plaintiff as “anonymous” because to reveal their name to a federal judge would be a felony.

And if one day you come home from work and your house is ransacked, you will probably call the police to report a burglary. What you might hear is “sorry—it was federal agents that invaded your house." The Patriot Act permits federal agents to break into your home and plant a listening device without obtaining a warrant from a judge.

It did a few other things, like making it a felony if you reveal what went on in a grand jury, unless you are a prosecutor, then you can leak to your heart's content.

On December 13, 2003 when everyone's attention was riveted on the capture of Saddam Hussein, Bush signed the Intelligence Authorization Act .

Remember how federal agents are permitted to issue self-written search warrants to financial institutions, called National Security Letters. This Act redefined what a financial institution is. Since December 13, 2003 the government can issue these self-written warrants to a bank, trust company, credit company, stock broker, insurance agent, delicatessen, hotel, hospital, bodega, HMO, jeweler, restaurant, lawyer and the post office. And they must comply and can not even tell anyone they received the letter.

The nail in the coffin was the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Since the beginning of Anglo-American Jurisprudence, when a defendant was found not guilty they were released. But, now, even if one of these tribunals finds the person innocent, they can continue to be held if the president has designated them an “enemy combatant.” And note an “enemy combatant” can also be an American citizen.

One other thing you may not know. There are two ways to turn on your cell phone. You can push the power button. The other way, is for the NSA or FBI to power it up if they wish to eavesdrop on your conversations.

In August of this year Congress passed the Protect America Act, which permits the government to permanently tap into the nation's communications networks.

To date, the vast majority of courts that have considered this stuff have found it to be unconstitutional. But the courts can not keep up with Congress, the president and his inventive information gathering agencies.

Congress is so weak and timid they go along with anything. So if Americans are concerned they must elect a president that truly cares about freedom and the constitution. The problem is that, just like in 1776, a large number of the people are Tories and an equal number indifferent.

It really is getting to be about time for a revolution:

Being an optimist, I believe it is not too late to work within the system,

But if we don't-- eventually there will be no choice but to shoot the ****s.

Theres a video in the blank area, click the link to see it.

[twa]

Not what I was hoping for....naturally shes a lesbian.

Just a Girl in short shorts talking about whatever

[twa]

Not what I was hoping for....naturally shes a lesbian.

Just a Girl in short shorts talking about whatever

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

It all started in 1978 when the Congress, under Jimmy Carter, enacted the FISA legislation. FISA is a secret court which meets in the basement of the Justice Department. Under FISA the government can obtain a warrant to wiretap any person who there is reason to believe is a foreign agent. There is no requirement they show reason to believe the person has engaged in a crime or espionage, which is necessary in courts above ground. But, in an effort to get around the requirements of the Fourth Amendment, the law was written so that information obtained with these warrants could not be used in a criminal prosecution.

It's beyond amazing to me that they still fail to comply with this.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

It all started in 1978 when the Congress, under Jimmy Carter, enacted the FISA legislation. FISA is a secret court which meets in the basement of the Justice Department. Under FISA the government can obtain a warrant to wiretap any person who there is reason to believe is a foreign agent. There is no requirement they show reason to believe the person has engaged in a crime or espionage, which is necessary in courts above ground. But, in an effort to get around the requirements of the Fourth Amendment, the law was written so that information obtained with these warrants could not be used in a criminal prosecution.

It's beyond amazing to me that they still fail to comply with this.

[Popeman38]

Seriously? Of all the postings on the entire internet that deal with FISA, you choose this and post it? She has no more knowledge of FISA than Jorge holding the STOP sign in the construction zone. Would you ever take anything he writes as authoritative?

[Popeman38]

Seriously? Of all the postings on the entire internet that deal with FISA, you choose this and post it? She has no more knowledge of FISA than Jorge holding the STOP sign in the construction zone. Would you ever take anything he writes as authoritative?

[Teller]

No one read the Patriot Act before it became law, eh?

Just because she couldn't get through it doesn't mean "no one" could.

[Teller]

No one read the Patriot Act before it became law, eh?

Just because she couldn't get through it doesn't mean "no one" could.