Thank goodness for some Federal judges... I am sure this is headed for immediate appeal though.

"U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said so-called national-security letters, which allow the FBI to demand that certain businesses hand over customer records without a judge's approval and without telling anyone, violate the First and Fourth amendments."

My comment. Well duh!

He noted that the Supreme Court recently said that a "state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens."

"The judge said the law violates the Fourth Amendment because it bars or deters any judicial challenge to the government searches, and violates the First Amendment because its permanent ban on disclosure is a prior restraint on speech."

My comment. Again, well duh!

"It is the second time a federal court has ruled that a part of the Patriot Act violates the Constitution"

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002049873_patriot30.html






(Message edited by xenono on September 30, 2004)

If GW is re-elected the Bill of Rights will be usefull only as toilet paper. The Supreme Court will be so packed with right wing idealogues that they will have to fashion a new bench. No one will want to sit on the left side of the Chief Justice.

After stacking the supreme court they'll probably amend the patriot act to ban dancing too. After all, the whirling dervishes are Islamic, right? Maybe the WMD's are hidden under those skirts. ;)

But seriously, I was truly amazed when I read that Ashcroft does not dance because it's against his beliefs. I shudder to think what he could/would do to any freedoms we still have with a really religiously-stacked supreme court.

Ashcroft also thinks pornography is an affront to God.

I have mentioned this article before, but here are some highlights about Ashcroft bringing obscenity charges in the US again for the first time in 10 years.

"But the Justice Department has begun aggressively policing adult pornography as well, a turnaround from the Clinton administration, which brought almost no such cases."

"So far, the Bush administration has a perfect record in the 25 adult obscenity cases it has filed. The cases, brought in mostly conservative communities across the country, ended in two guilty verdicts and 23 guilty pleas. Charges are pending in a dozen other cases."

"And the crackdown is expanding. Earlier this year, Attorney General John Ashcroft hired noted anti-porn crusader Bruce Taylor as a senior counsel for the criminal division on obscenity issues. And President George W. Bush's 2005 budget proposal contains $4 million to hire more prosecutors and FBI agents devoted to targeting adult obscenity."

"Never before have we had an attorney general like John Ashcroft, who believes that sexually explicit material is an affront to God," Douglas said. "They should go after crimes with real victims."

http://www.freep.com/voices/sunday/eporn11_20040411.htm

What cracks me up about this is that people that rail against porn are probably the same ones whacking off to it on pay per view in their hotels. Tons of mainstream companies like Time Warner and Comcast are involved now with porn in one way or another because it makes them so much money.

The reason Ashcroft only bring cases in staunchly conservative communities is because people are becoming more and more tolerant of porn everyday. It is only the religious right that is offended by porn.

Porn is what drove innovation on the internet and continues to be on the cutting edge of developing new technologies that later filter down into everyday life. Why did the VCR become so popular? It was because it became a new and safer way to get porn instead of having to go to a sticky adult movie theater. Why did the internet become so popular? Because now you could get porn without even leaving your house. Thank porn for both of those things becoming widespread and generating trillions of dollars for the American economy. But Ashcroft doesn’t see it that way. Nope. Instead we are all just a bunch of God insulters.


(Message edited by xenono on September 30, 2004)

(Message edited by xenono on September 30, 2004)