These misplaced priorities from counterterrorism authorities seem to have become more severe during the Obama administration. Protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement have faced absurd levels of surveillance, including undercover officers assigned to infiltrate their gatherings and to entrap them in illegal activities. The government sets up fusion centers on the fringes of their protests in which multiple agencies, such as FBI and Department of Homeland Security, team up with private companies to share information about the protestors. Considering the grand scale of this kind of intelligence sharing, it’s astounding that the FBI withheld information about a sniper that plotted to kill specific leaders of the Occupy Houston movement. Kade Crockford of the ACLU astutely pointed out that if the situation were reversed then the FBI would have
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In actuality, it granted federal law enforcement extremely broad and sweeping powers for prosecuting many crimes that don’t involve terrorism, in particular drug trafficking. Many of the provisions within the PATRIOT ACT had been specifically rejected by Congress before 9/11, but very few people, if anyone, actually read the PATRIOT Act as it had been changed in the middle of the night before voting. Our justice system is based upon a simple constitutional tenet. The government must have a reasonable suspicion to get a warrant. In reality, the burden of proof necessary for “reasonable suspicion” is quite slim. After all, no judge in America is going to deny a warrant if there is even the slightest hint at a real security threat. However, the PATRIOT ACT negated that basic constitutional protection. And if you want a clear picture of what the U.S. government prioritizes then look at what they investigate. Eighty-seven percent of the court approved wiretaps in 2013 were for drug
In actuality, it granted federal law enforcement extremely broad and sweeping powers for prosecuting many crimes that don’t involve terrorism, in particular drug trafficking. Many of the provisions within the PATRIOT ACT had been specifically rejected by Congress before 9/11, but very few people, if anyone, actually read the PATRIOT Act as it had been changed in the middle of the night before voting. Our justice system is based upon a simple constitutional tenet. The government must have a reasonable suspicion to get a warrant. In reality, the burden of proof necessary for “reasonable suspicion” is quite slim. After all, no judge in America is going to deny a warrant if there is even the slightest hint at a real security threat. However, the PATRIOT ACT negated that basic constitutional protection. And if you want a clear picture of what the U.S. government prioritizes then look at what they investigate. Eighty-seven percent of the court approved wiretaps in 2013 were for drug