Hate To Say I told You So...

[Col Hogan]

But I told you so...

Two years ago...on a different site...I blasted the Bush Administration and it's decimation of the Constitution of this country with the Patriot Act...

And I hoped the Obama Administration would change the most egregious partions of the law...

Nope...in fact, they are using it more openly than the Bushies ever did...

In a guns-drawn raid on October 1, FBI agents and police seized boxes of dubious "evidence" from the Queens, New York, home of Elliott Madison. A U.S. District Judge in Brooklyn has set a Monday deadline to rule on the legality of the search, and in the meantime has ordered the government to refrain from examining the material taken in the 6 a.m. search.

Madison, who counsels more than 100 severely mentally ill patients in New York, seems to have first drawn attention from the authorities at September's G-20 gathering of world leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he was arrested on September 24 at a motel room for allegedly listening to a police scanner and relaying information on Twitter to help protesters avoid heavily-armed cops -- an activity the State Department lauded when it happened in Iran.

So, let me get this straight...we praise Iranians for doing something that we turn around a arrest our own citizens for doing... and things get worse...

A week later, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, armed with a search warrant and backed by a federal grand jury investigation, raided Madison's house, which he shares with his wife of 13 years and several roommates. The squad seized his computers, camera memory cards, books, air-filtration masks, bumper stickers and political posters -- all purportedly evidence that the 41-year old social worker had broken a federal anti-rioting law that carries up to five years in prison.

But a closer look at the court documents leaves the unmistakable impression that Elliott Madison is yet another casualty of the government's nasty, post-9/11 habit of considering political dissidents as threats to national security.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/24/anar ... index.html

Now, don't get me wrong...I'd most likely kick this guy in the huevos if I met him because of his politics... (j/k, but you get the idea)...but I'll defend his rights to say what he says...and I sure as hell hate it when one part of our government praises someone overseas for doing something...then we turn around and arrest someone here for doing the exact same thing...WTFO???

This is another example of the Obama Administration having a perfect chance to break-away from the Bush Administration...but they like the power the non-Patriot Act gives them, and they have no intention of ever giving that up...

SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION...REVOKE THE PATRIOT ACT!!!

[AZGrizFan]

Fuck him. Burn him at the stake.

[dbackjon]

Agreed Colonel.

[Appaholic]

Agree Colonel.....once again proving that a government will never willingly give up the power & control it gains by suspending constitutional rights....& yet, others are more than happy to turn their (or better yet soneone eles's) firearms (& the right to bear them) over to the government...

[AZGrizFan]

Well, aren't you two a couple of sticks in the mud.

Gotta take everything all "serious".

[Cleets Part 2]

Agree Colonel.....once again proving that a government will never willingly give up the power & control it gains by suspending constitutional rights....& yet, others are more than happy to turn their (or better yet soneone eles's) firearms (& the right to bear them) over to the government...

Exactly..
I've always wondered why Republican politicians (to this day) still use the phrase smaller government to describe themselves... and there is not one (NOT ONE) example of a Republican leader ever leaving office with a smaller government than he was inaugurate with...

It's the single biggest fallacy in American politics - as it has no examples of ever happening - and thus is only a form of rhetoric.... and not based in any historical evidence

But yet, they say it every single day - frankly it's weird

interesting

[AZGrizFan]

Agree Colonel.....once again proving that a government will never willingly give up the power & control it gains by suspending constitutional rights....& yet, others are more than happy to turn their (or better yet soneone eles's) firearms (& the right to bear them) over to the government...

Exactly..
I've always wondered why Republican politicians (to this day) still use the phrase smaller government to describe themselves... and there is not one (NOT ONE) example of a Republican leader ever leaving office with a smaller government than he was inaugurate with...

It's the single biggest fallacy in American politics - as it has no examples of ever happening - and thus is only a form of rhetoric.... and not based in any historical evidence

But yet, they say it every single day - frankly it's weird

interesting

How would you define "smaller" government?

[Ursus A. Horribilis]

Agree Colonel.....once again proving that a government will never willingly give up the power & control it gains by suspending constitutional rights....& yet, others are more than happy to turn their (or better yet soneone eles's) firearms (& the right to bear them) over to the government...

Exactly..
I've always wondered why Republican politicians (to this day) still use the phrase smaller government to describe themselves... and there is not one (NOT ONE) example of a Republican leader ever leaving office with a smaller government than he was inaugurate with...

It's the single biggest fallacy in American politics - as it has no examples of ever happening - and thus is only a form of rhetoric.... and not based in any historical evidence

But yet, they say it every single day - frankly it's weird

interesting

If you look at the individual then yes you can find one.

Ron Paul is the only one that tries to practice what he preaches in his voting and the fact that he turns back part of his budgeted money to the treasury every year that he does not use.

Hell I don't even need to be on a fellers side anymore. I'll take a guy that just does what he says he's gonna do. At least I know where that guy stands.

Nice piece that you put together there Colonel. I agree with y'all on this thread wholeheart.

[Cleets Part 2]

Exactly..
I've always wondered why Republican politicians (to this day) still use the phrase smaller government to describe themselves... and there is not one (NOT ONE) example of a Republican leader ever leaving office with a smaller government than he was inaugurate with...

It's the single biggest fallacy in American politics - as it has no examples of ever happening - and thus is only a form of rhetoric.... and not based in any historical evidence

But yet, they say it every single day - frankly it's weird

interesting

How would you define "smaller" government?

Yeah... exactly

Since we've never seen it how would we recognize it...
here's a few examples of what it might look like

1) Costs less to function
2) Has fewer employees - few departments - fewer expenses
3) Functions more efficiently across the board

But anyway: There are no such examples of our Federal Government returning freedoms once taken and returning money once taxed - restricting itself - lessening it's scope - reducing it's power - surrendering it's influence....

IT JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN - bet it Republican or Democrat - none can provide examples of "reduced Government" after they leave office...

[UNI88]

How would you define "smaller" government?

Yeah... exactly

Since we've never seen it how would we recognize it...
here's a few examples of what it might look like

1) Costs less to function
2) Has fewer employees - few departments - fewer expenses
3) Functions more efficiently across the board

But anyway: There are no such examples of our Federal Government returning freedoms once taken and returning money once taxed - restricting itself - lessening it's scope - reducing it's power - surrendering it's influence....

IT JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN - bet it Republican or Democrat - none can provide examples of "reduced Government" after they leave office...

Finishing up The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad by Fareed Zakaria that provides some insight into why this might be the case. Essentially special interests fight to save and increase every penny that they get from the government while the general public which supports reduced government in theory isn't excited enough by it to counter the special interests. Highly recommend the book!

[houndawg]

But I told you so...

Two years ago...on a different site...I blasted the Bush Administration and it's decimation of the Constitution of this country with the Patriot Act...

And I hoped the Obama Administration would change the most egregious partions of the law...

Nope...in fact, they are using it more openly than the Bushies ever did...

In a guns-drawn raid on October 1, FBI agents and police seized boxes of dubious "evidence" from the Queens, New York, home of Elliott Madison. A U.S. District Judge in Brooklyn has set a Monday deadline to rule on the legality of the search, and in the meantime has ordered the government to refrain from examining the material taken in the 6 a.m. search.

Madison, who counsels more than 100 severely mentally ill patients in New York, seems to have first drawn attention from the authorities at September's G-20 gathering of world leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he was arrested on September 24 at a motel room for allegedly listening to a police scanner and relaying information on Twitter to help protesters avoid heavily-armed cops -- an activity the State Department lauded when it happened in Iran.

So, let me get this straight...we praise Iranians for doing something that we turn around a arrest our own citizens for doing... and things get worse...

A week later, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, armed with a search warrant and backed by a federal grand jury investigation, raided Madison's house, which he shares with his wife of 13 years and several roommates. The squad seized his computers, camera memory cards, books, air-filtration masks, bumper stickers and political posters -- all purportedly evidence that the 41-year old social worker had broken a federal anti-rioting law that carries up to five years in prison.

But a closer look at the court documents leaves the unmistakable impression that Elliott Madison is yet another casualty of the government's nasty, post-9/11 habit of considering political dissidents as threats to national security.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/24/anar ... index.html

Now, don't get me wrong...I'd most likely kick this guy in the huevos if I met him because of his politics... (j/k, but you get the idea)...but I'll defend his rights to say what he says...and I sure as hell hate it when one part of our government praises someone overseas for doing something...then we turn around and arrest someone here for doing the exact same thing...WTFO???

This is another example of the Obama Administration having a perfect chance to break-away from the Bush Administration...but they like the power the non-Patriot Act gives them, and they have no intention of ever giving that up...

SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION...REVOKE THE PATRIOT ACT!!!

So sad, so true.

[grizzaholic]

.

[houndawg]

But Obama is just looking out for everybody here. I trust that he will do the right thing.


All praise the Chosen One.

Well, it was him or drooling senility to replace miserable failure and pitiful incompetence. What're ya gonna do?