Republican Old Guard tries to do an end-around to reauthorize Patriot Act spying
I knew that nothing was really going to change in government when McConnell and Boehner retained their leadership in the Senate and House (respectively). This is just appalling and I applaud Senator Rand Paul for his filibuster efforts (currently ongoing).
From the article:
"Virtually all Democrats are expected to support the bill, with the possible exception of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who opposed similar legislation last year, as are a handful of Republicans. The USA Freedom Act has five GOP co-sponsors: Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas), Steve Daines (Mont.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Dean Heller (Nev.)."
What complete hypocrites they are, calling this insulting rubbish USA Freedom when in reality it continues the worst parts of the so-called Patriot Act. They should be called the "Break the 1st Amendment Act" and the "Kill the Bill of Rights Act."
Rand Paul, on the other hand, has no chance to win the GOP nomination because of statements like this:
“There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate, and liberty and privacy to suffer,” he said from the Senate floor Wednesday. “That time is now, and I will not allow the Patriot Act — the most unpatriotic of acts — go unchallenged.”
Were I in his position, I would be planning to switch to another party after the debates.
Also from the article:
"Even a temporary lapse in the law would be a significant political blow to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has sought to show that a Republican-led Senate can govern more effectively than one run by Democrats."
On the contrary, if the GOP was trying to do what they promised to do for the past 100 years, they would know that repealing all of the Patriot Act would be the most effective move possible for the liberty they have claimed repeatedly to support.
The reality is that the GOP doesn't value liberty, they have not defended it since the party was born, and they will never do so. The GOP has been destroying the Bill of Rights since 1860.
existing "PATRIOT Act" provisions up for renewal also allow the federal government to gather:
*** Gun Purchase Records, including credit card records, check images from your bank, gun shop receipts, and even the form 4473 you filled out for the background check;
*** Hunting or Sporting gear purchases,magazine subscription records or even gun show attendance records (by scanning license plates in the parking lot as the DEA planned to do);
*** Concealed weapons permit lists, firearms training certificates, or hunting permit applications; and,
*** Private medical records of gun owners.
I am sure that you and I are going to agree to disagree on this one, Zenphamy, but one of the most interesting aspects of Atlas Shrugged in our own time is pointing out the similarities between what is happening now vs. what happened in the AS novel. Many of us use current events as a gauge to assess just how far into the book we actually have come.
While it might be interesting to discuss the implications of the 'right to privacy' and the government's authorities or powers in the philosophy of Objectivism, this post has no relevance to such. It's just a distraction and team entertainment.
From Sun Tzu: "It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."
Keeping up to date on current events, whether they be in everyday life or one's own area of specialty, is how one knows his enemies. Such enemies are often more hidden and/or more numerous than one expects.
I am simply asking the question, 'How does this post relate to Objectivism, AR, or AS?' I'm sorry if that bothers some, but a member shouldn't have to dig through an article to hunt for the relevance and new members coming to the site shouldn't have to be confused over the posts they encounter, particularly 10 to 15 per day that are questionable from the same 2 or 3 posters.
I simply asked, "What does this post have to do with Objectivism, AR, or AS?"
The answer could have been nothing, or as you suggest to illustrate a part of the plot of AS, or any of a dozen others. It could also have been what was answered; "If both the Dems and the Reps are both arguing against the individual in favor of a violation of rights of the individual, I thought it was entirely relevant."
That might have left room for a discussion of the ridiculousness of our current political system and the tendency of the less rational in our society to be swept into the mindlessness of the Dem/Rep political team entertainment, rather than the rational understanding that the government is going to do what it wants regardless of our input.
I might then have pointed out that it disappoints me to see many of those that profess an Objectivist viewpoint. still allow themselves to be pulled into the propaganda arguments dosed out to them as a palliative and distraction, rather than to let them see what is really happening in this government and society.