First read on Homeland Stupidity, linked to the Washington Post:
Apology Note
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; 2:38 PM
The United States of America apologizes to Mr. Brandon Mayfield and his family for the suffering caused by the FBI’s misidentification of Mr. Mayfield’s fingerprint and the resulting investigation of Mr. Mayfield, including his arrest as a material witness in connection with the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the execution of search warrants and other court orders in the Mayfield family home and in Mr. Mayfield’s law office.
The United States acknowledges that the investigation and arrest were deeply upsetting to Mr. Mayfield, to Mrs. Mayfield, and to their three young children, and the United States regrets that it mistakenly linked Mr. Mayfield to this terrorist attack. The FBI has implemented a number of measures in an effort to ensure that what happened to Mr. Mayfield and the Mayfield family does not happen again.
“Deeply upsetting…”
I ask Americans from time to time if they know what is contained in the Patriot Act. Most don’t because they haven’t felt a direct impact from it. However, it has affected me, personally and directly. It’s an act that I can’t vote on, but has changed the course of my life in ways neither David nor I could have ever predicted. Because even though I was married to an American, I was not allowed access to our bank accounts or to write cheques (checks), nor could I execute my husband’s estate, or — more importantly — continue to live in our house… because I was denied a Social Security Number after he died. My immigration lawyer informed me that if I even so much as attended the scheduled biometrics appointment (the letter arrived the week after David died), it would be considered a fraudulent act and subject to prosecution (read: jail).
I had to leave the United States by mid-March (I was given 87 days from his date of death) or risk deportation and a ban of 12 years or life. And, for as long as Homeland Security keeps a file on me at the border, whenever I hand over my ID to pay a visit I am treated at best a potential illegal alien who is attempting re-entry, or at worst a terrorist. Every. Single. Time.
It may appear that Canada is government-heavy compared to the U.S. in daily life (work, health, etc.), but I would argue that the U.S. government has far too much of a different type of control — power over civil liberties.
Does America feel safer with the Patriot Act? After reading the story behind the apology note above, I’m sure the Mayfields would beg to differ.
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Safer? Hell no, it scares the piss out of me!
Some light reading:
http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html
There are certainly sections of the Patriot Act that are perfectly legitimate, but 90% of it should be discarded. The fact is, from 2001-2003, the US congress would vote for anything that had anything to do with “security,” irregardless of the long term effects. The very name of the act itself acts a measure to discourage dissent. A politician up for election in 2002 would have committed political suicide not voting for the “Patriot Act.”
Item of note: (someone at) the U.S. Department of Justice read this post this morning. We’ll see if anything comes of it. They should at least sign the guestbook, don’t you think?
It’s insane. INSANE!
It’s fun travelling to the USA these days; you get questioned at the airport at the departing country, get your fingerprint and picture taken at immigration, and have to answer a question if you have ever been a member of the Nazi party.
Do they actually thing that this will prevent the psychos from entering the country?
How many cross the Mexican border or land on rafts from Cuba each year?
What’s in a name? How many of the world’s countries that have the name ‘democratic’ in it are actually democratic?