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defrogITEM: Harry Reid and John Boehner find something they can agree on – the Patriot Act needs to be extended by another four years so the US govt can keep having awesome surveillance powers.
So they’ve struck a deal to get the extensions passed in order to avoid debate on the floor. Because the last thing America needs now that Osama bin Laden is dead is to get distracted by stupid partisan debates about how much power the govt should have to spy on people, whether they happen to be terrorists or not.
Bipartisanship! Small govt! Liberty Voyeurs!
I could go on, but Glenn Greenwald has cut my work out for me.
Not that any of this matters. The Patriot Act has been around long enough to be the new Normal. Most people just accept now that the govt has to have these powers, and as long as they only use it on Other People (like Muslims, immigrants and drug dealers), who cares? This is just how it is now.
Even the Tea Party – which initially tried to pretend the Patriot Act ran counter to their Small Govt meme – doesn’t care anymore. When even politicians mistrustful of the govt signs off on something like the Patriot Act, it’s probably Game Over at that stage.
In fact, this entire post was probably a waste of time. But then I’m a big fan of Lost Causes, so why not?
This blog kills windmills,
This is dF
So they’ve struck a deal to get the extensions passed in order to avoid debate on the floor. Because the last thing America needs now that Osama bin Laden is dead is to get distracted by stupid partisan debates about how much power the govt should have to spy on people, whether they happen to be terrorists or not.
Bipartisanship! Small govt! Liberty Voyeurs!
I could go on, but Glenn Greenwald has cut my work out for me.
Not that any of this matters. The Patriot Act has been around long enough to be the new Normal. Most people just accept now that the govt has to have these powers, and as long as they only use it on Other People (like Muslims, immigrants and drug dealers), who cares? This is just how it is now.
Even the Tea Party – which initially tried to pretend the Patriot Act ran counter to their Small Govt meme – doesn’t care anymore. When even politicians mistrustful of the govt signs off on something like the Patriot Act, it’s probably Game Over at that stage.
In fact, this entire post was probably a waste of time. But then I’m a big fan of Lost Causes, so why not?
This blog kills windmills,
This is dF
