VICTORY Act
This is the most reactionary, fascist country in the world. The proposed legislation dubbed VICTORY Act, trying to tie terrorism to drug trafficking, and giving law enforcement all kinds of powers based in the suspicions that we have seen lately, is bound to raise violations of human rights to unprecedented levels. Based on the article by ABCNEWS.com, we get the following:
Raise the threshold for rejecting illegal wiretaps. The draft reads: "A court may not grant a motion to suppress the contents of a wire or oral communication, or evidence derived therefrom, unless the court finds that the violation of this chapter involved bad faith by law enforcement."
Which of course places the onus of the proof on the defendant, meaning that you are guilty unless proved otherwise. Sounds twisted? It is. Extend subpoena powers by giving giving law enforcement the authority to issue non-judicial subpoenas which require a person suspected of involvement in money laundering to turn over financial records and appear in a prosecutor's office to answer questions.
The extension of subppoena means to bypass the authority and procedure of the Judicial branch, basically allowing the police to act as both judge and enforcer. They can and will go to your house in the middle of the night and nobody would be able to say anything. Remember the Soviet Union.Extend the power of the attorney general to issue so-called administrative "sneak-and-peek" subpoenas to drug cases. These subpoenas allow law enforcement to gather evidence from wire communication, financial records or other sources before the subject of the search is notified.
In other words, extend vigilance to cases in which there is a mild suspicion. regardless of whether the person involved is guilty or not, the Attorney General is asking for the right to know what anybody is doing at any time. Cool.Allow law enforcement to seek a court order to require the "provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service" or a financial institution to delay notifying a customer that their records had been subpoenaed.
Again, your privacy out the window, and not for drug traffickers, but for song traders, writers, commercial activity etc.And to hear saying Ashcroft that “law abiding citizens have nothing to fear”, well, slavery was a lawful practice in the 18th century. Racist policies were protected by law until well into the 20th century. The government is by the people, only in the amount that the people can affect changes in it through their actions and dissents. If everything is going to be taxed watched, examined and officially approved, there is not going to be any more USA as a free nation, but a country full of public employees, civil servants to a bunch of dead books and regulations. That, or a balkanized group of nations.
That will be Ashcroft and Bush legacy for the Americans.
Comments
All very scary - especially the one about cops being able to issue their own search warrants. WTF!
Posted by: biologic show | August 21, 2003 5:39 PM
that's really scary. i'm glad i can read your webpage now though!
Posted by: justin | August 22, 2003 1:12 AM
Yes, we are sent back to the times prior to the Magna Carta. The
Habeas Corpus disappears, as well as the distinction between
police (executive branch) and judicial branch. What is that?
Gestapo again?
That about the USA becoming the most reactionary and restrictive
country in the world is becoming a nightmare gone real.
Vote in 2004!
Posted by: Camilo | August 22, 2003 2:06 PM