Gerard has it right, without all this surveillance 850,000 more people would be unemployed.  And don’t forget they are part of an 80 billion/year new industry.

Of course you could see this coming. Once they have the power they won’t give it up….not even the so called good guys. What was that about absolute power?

In the 1950’s we were afraid of Communists under every rock; now, 60 years later, we are still afraid of that nebulous enemy that will get us.  On May 21st many, many people were convinced that it would be the end of the world (it wasn’t).  Is it ever possible to learn from experience that there are those who willfully spread rumors of disaster?  Is it ever possible for thinking human beings to not fall into that type of trap?  Will people ever be able to discern between the truth and propaganda?  The Patriot Act symbolizes how easily we can succumb to internal fears bearing little or no resemblance to reality.

That DA in New Orleans, I believe his name was Jim Garrison, once said: “Fascism will come to the USA in the name of national security.” Amen brothers and sisters. Of course we remember Ben Franklin something about “those who sacrifice basic freedoms for short-term security deserve neither freedom nor security.” Or words to that effect. What is most disturbing about this is that a professor of constitutional law should sign this into law. But then again, it was the Constitution according to Harvard, the citadel of the ruling class. Obama is a disaster, to this day Habeas Corpus has not being reinstituted and we have all these political prisoners in Guantanamo and elsewhere in jail without charges. Then we torture, kidnap, assassinate at will. Well, it is after all the land of the free and the home of the brave and that is why Congress stood up and cheered the leader of our masters, the Israelis, 29 times. The seal of the USA has above the head of the eagle, a cluster of stars in the shape of the star of David.