Overwhelming number of sneak-and-peak warrants used for criminal cases, not terrorism
According to a new report, of the 763 "sneak-and-peek" warrants granted in FY 2008, 62% were for drug-related investigations. Only three of the warrants were related to terrorism, which is at the bottom of the list. For those of you not familiar with "sneak-and-peak," it allows law enforcement to search the property of an individual without notification.
This provision of the PATRIOT Act was used more for tax crimes, extortion, assault, contraband and robbery more than it was used for investigating actual cases of terrorism.
Comments
Once angain, and I really hate it, we were proven right on the issue of the unPatriot Act.
If people value their liberty at all, they would do well to start listening to the their fellow neighborhood libertarian. By trying to protect our own freedom, we're trying to protect yours. Most of us, libertarians, are involved in politics on a voluteer, spare time basis. We sure as hell aren't in it for power or your money... that should tell you something.
Posted by: Daniel N Adams | September 29, 2009 08:14 AM
Bottom Line:
To my democratic friends, if you give government the power above that which is in the Constitution, no matter how noble the cause, they will abuse it. You can't give them the power to Mandate and force people to comply with something you want, without also giving them the power to do things you don't want.
To my republican friends, similarly, you can not give government the power to bypass "due process" in hopes to better secure the country... it will be abused. History proves this. This is why Franklin warned that "those who would willingly give up liberty for security, deserves neither"... he knew that even though intentions were good, the result would be that government would abuse any illegitimate power bestowed to them.
In all cases, expediency over liberty is a vice. The people need to hold their elected leaders to a higher standard and make sure that any of their proposed solutions to problems, start and end, with protecting individual liberty first and therefore they’ll be successful in their number one duty and that is to keep us Free.
Posted by: Daniel N Adams | September 29, 2009 08:46 AM