Happy 10th anniversary, Patriot Act!

My how time flies and civil liberties fade. Ten years to the day since the Patriot Act passed, making potential enemies of the state of us all. And no signs of retirement in sight.

• [absimiliard]

  Oh yay!

  {/sarcasm}

  -abs really, REALLY, hates that un-Constitutional piece of toilet-paper, actually can he retract that sentiment, it’s not really very kind to think that badly of toilet-paper . .. . . .  (which is really, REALLY, useful stuff)

• [Dan DiPasquo]

  Don’t forget: USA PATRIOT Act = Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism …

• [Charlie B]

  Where are all the Obama apologists?

  Hello?

  Is that crickets I hear?

  • [satn]

    Where are all the strawmen I conjured from my mind?

    Hello?

    Is that straw-crickets I hear?

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    Where are all the Obama apologists?

    How long has it been since you saw one here? Try HuffPo. They’ve got quite the infestation.

    • [Charlie B]

      Well, I avoid both Huffpo and Drudge.  I already know what they are selling, and I can stick my head out the window any time and hear people mindlessly repeating both… so I definitely believe you.

      Anyway, now that I think of it, you and I were both among the sarcastic snarkmob that probably drove the Obama apologists out.  But I’m regretting it; all we’ve got left to mock are the ultralibertarians, concern trolls and furries.

• [Aaron Swain]

  Happy Birthday!
  They grow up so fast…

• [Layne]

  10 years and two administrations who don’t mind wiping their feet on the citizens and the Constitution. 

  It’s one thing to grind my teeth about the insane hyperbole that allowed Bush II to push the damn thing through in the first place. But it’s a whole new level of disbelief that Obama calls for it to be renewed and everyone falls in with hardly a peep. Especially not from anyone in the position to hammer him about it. Even this article acts like it up and magically renewed itself. It’s unbelievably shameless that an administration promising openness is now just a hollow joke that rubber-stamps the continued trampling down of civil rights. 

• [Dirtgrain]

  If terrorists really are jealous of our freedom, then the Patriot Act is their tool against us.  It emboldens them.

• [Stonewalker]

  For reference, Rand Paul was the only Senator who attempted to stop the renewal of the most anti-rights provisions (which were up for renewal) of the USA PATRIOT Act earlier this year.  Harry Reid hamstring’d him by doing some political voodoo to remove RP’s chance of filibustering the vote.

  I’m not trying to convince anybody to advocate for Rand Paul, this is really just for reference.  The dems in many cases are just as bad as the Repugs when it comes to violating rights.

• [teapot]

  I just hope when Bush dies there’s partying in the streets like when OBL died. After all, Bush did more to destroy American’s freedom than Bin Laden ever did.

• [benher]

  Imagine two people bicycling at each other from a great distance, and then ten years later just smacking into each other at only a modest speed. 
  Foreseeable, preventable, silly to the point of surreal, and yet it has come to pass…

• [Young Cash Money]

  The name Patriot Act makes you think as if you are supposed to surrender your privacy in the name of patriotism.