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"Bush to criminalize protesters under Patriot Act as "disruptors""

23:47 / 18.01.06

Dear Lord.

So does this apply to Fred Phelps? The Anti-Abortion people? Bush supporters at an anti-war rally?

06:10 / 19.01.06

This is fucking nauseating. And the fact that NO ONE is fighting it, save for the ACLU, is even more infuriating. Under this law, the Denver Three and the Smoketown Six would not only have their civil grievances ignored but could face up to a year in prison.

For protesting.

I used to joke about this but now I have to ask with all seriousness. What are my chances for immigrating out of the US? Any place I should look into?

07:03 / 19.01.06

I thought they voted to extend the Patriot Act only six months? I was hoping it would just be a Bush thing, and would be done away with when his term is up regardless of how many times they extend it while he is in office.

08:03 / 19.01.06

Hiero, how about the UK? Our government's bad, but not as bad as Bush and friends.

08:33 / 19.01.06

It's to cover Dear Leader in case he does photo ops anywhere besides military bases or police stations (i.e., surrounding himself with his direct subordinates in the Executive Branch of government) or well-scripted "town meetings."

09:07 / 19.01.06

Hiero, how about the UK?

Although our government does it's level best to interfere with protesters. As the recent injunction against protesting near parliment shows.

In recent years massive exclusion zones have prevented protests getting anywhere near people such as Bush and the Chinese visit in 2005.

It's not as bad as this Patriot Act loophole. But you can bet Blair's looking at that and thinking "Ooh, what a good idea.".

09:19 / 19.01.06

Conceded. Our government has considerably more going for it than the Bush administration, although not in the area of protest legislation.

09:36 / 19.01.06

I'm inclined to agree with Alas though... if the United States is going to become a better place then it's people, everyday average people are going to have to stay there and fight, and vote, and agitate...

Having said which, it's not like I'm personally doing any great shakes against the Blair regeime...

Tryphena Absent

09:44 / 19.01.06

But soon we'll have surrounded the parliament exclusion zone with our human chain. Right?

09:49 / 19.01.06

Now there's a plan!

17:05 / 19.01.06

The only consolation I can find is that PATRIOT is in a bit of a congressional limbo for the moment and that the first article is a bit dated, in light of recent fights about PATRIOT within Congress.

But jesus. The fact this was even snuck in says volumes for the totalitarian state of things. I honest to god never thought I'd see the day.

22:01 / 19.01.06

i'd like to challenge any administration-supporting noodlehead to name one of the US's founding fathers who would support even a single thing that bushie and his little gang of capitalist warlord yesmen have done.

of course, if this post annoys anyone, i guess i better watch my back. america is turning into 3rd grade. cant annoy, cant disrupt, all my cash goes to the bullies. this really stinks.

09:49 / 20.01.06

We're not exactly overrun with Bush supporters here, mind. You would be waiting rather a long time.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:18 / 20.01.06

Our government has considerably more going for it than the Bush administration, although not in the area of protest legislation.

Until a few months ago, I'd have said "at least you're unlikely to get shot". Even that seems to be becoming less of a given these days.

Mind you, I'd still rather live in the UK than in the US at the moment.

12:27 / 20.01.06

name one of the US's founding fathers who would support even a single thing that bushie and his little gang of capitalist warlord yesmen have done

'Not a bush supporter here, but the Alien and Sedition Act of Adams comes to mind.

13:16 / 20.01.06

ah yeah. ok...shit, well...i guess you have a point there. but wasnt that mostly about "wartime" and then abused by adams? i guess he was a founding father. damn, i did a report on him in junior high, too. i shoulda remembered that.

i always liked jefferson better.

23:52 / 20.01.06

But soon we'll have surrounded the parliament exclusion zone with our human chain. Right?

And then don't say a word...no message other then we are everywhere...watching you, as you watch us everywhere.

Brilliant idea. Where are the beer sponsors?

01:34 / 21.01.06

At moments like these, the immortal words of Philip K. Dick comes to mind:

The Empire never ended

Fight the Empire!*

*with non-violent methods, of course, for evil only grows stronger with violence

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

17:42 / 21.01.06

In some ways, the current Bush Administration reminds me a lot of what I read about the Nixon Administration: When their popularity started to fall, they lashed out at the American Public, looking for ways to control the debate because they weren't winning. Nixon was re-elected in a landslide, but within two years, he had to resign, and most people claimed that they didn't support him. While history never repeats itself so simply, I'm amazed at how close it seems to be echoing lately.

Still, most of the tactics used by the people who opposed Nixon are being cut off at the knees. Protests are no longer beign reported, and the people breaking them up have learned that shoving them in a corner and ignoring them does a lot better than turning the hoses on them. They are putting a stranglehold on the courts in case the tide turns and they have to defend theselves (Alito may as well have been Bush's personal lawyer, as was the nominee he put up that failed) and the media is so deep in the Administration's pocket it was big news when they grew a spine for a month or so after Katrina.

I'll be watching to see what do to try and shake this off, but people int he US are weary of "defending their rights" and a loud minority seems to be fine with giving some up for Godly Bush Who Protects Us From Arabs. There is a part of me that thinks it might be a good thing for people to have to fight for their rights so that they hold them a bit more dear. However, the cynical side of me thinks that as long as they have the right to vote for George Hamilton as a great dancer, they won't care.

13:36 / 24.01.06

I'm fine with charging people for breaching security because there is no security if people are allowed to walk right up to political figures. However, I'd like to know if "breaching security" is a sly term for "attendance at a political event." If so, I'd like to send out a hearty "fuck you" to the Republican party.

The "disruptive behavior" clause worries me a great deal. This is complete and utter bullshit. It would practically eliminate all dissent from people within the government because a gov't employee arrested for protesting against the current administration would stand a good chance of being fired or pushed out the door.

Still, I hope in vain that if passed, the Secret Service won't go hog-wild with their newfound powers. Surely there are still responsible citizens left in the government.

14:05 / 24.01.06

Still, I hope in vain that if passed, the Secret Service won't go hog-wild with their newfound powers. Surely there are still responsible citizens left in the government.

I'd like to think so, but judging from how much the current administartion has been able to get away with, (and upcoming indictments) I'd say that there isn't nearly enough...

14:36 / 24.01.06

Oh, it's pretty clear that at the top, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, odds are that you're a real son of a bitch. Those who want power are those who least deserve to wield it.

23:43 / 24.01.06

I think its more of a choice between useless sons of bitches and evil sons of bitches, but I say that because I want to see the Democrats get their fucking arses in gear and start providing some real, effective oppositon. At the moment John McCain seems to be doing a better job of providing principled, cogent opposition to the excesses of the current administration...