On September 11th, 2001, the United States was attacked by Al-Qaeda with a series of coordinated attacks. Almost three thousand people were killed and six thousand were injured. It was one of the worst attacks in United States history, and will always be remembered. President George W. Bush retaliated by sending troops into Afghanistan on October 7th, 2001 to capture Osama Bin Laden and to destroy the terrorist groups responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Two weeks later President Bush signed the Patriot Act into law, which let the government override Constitutional rights in order to track down terrorists much easier. Are letting some of your rights to privacy go effecting national security? What are some of the violations this law has made? The Patriot Act has breached the Constitution and we have lost valuable rights so we can prevent possible terrorist attacks, and that is dangerously wrong.
On October 26th, 2001, President Bush signed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, also know as the USA Patriot Act into law. The Act increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone records, e-mail communications, medical, financial and other records. It also eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States, expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, especially from foreign individuals, and enhanced the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorist-related acts. The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism, thus enlarging the number of activities to which the Patriot Act’s expanded law enforcement powers can be applied (Wikipedia).
Due to the circumstances of this law, it has become very controversial. Many politicians and citizens believe that this law violates Americans’ 4th amendment rights in The Constitution, while others believe that giving up some rights to benefit the nation for national security is the right thing to do. The most controversial part of the law has been Article II, which states surveillance procedures. These sections of the law were originally to expire on December 31, 2005, but now have been renewed until the end of next year (Wikipedia). They include information sharing, wiretapping, access to records, foreign intelligence with wiretaps and searches, “Sneak & Peak” warrants, and material support of terrorists. Information sharing allows information from criminal probes to be shared with intelligence agencies and other parts of the government. Critics believe that this could lead “to the development of massive databases about citizens who are not the targets of criminal investigations.” Wiretapping allows one wiretap authorization to cover multiple devices for a suspect's cell phone or computer. However critics say that innocent people who come into contact with the suspect may be violated. Access to records allows easier access to business records in foreign intelligence investigations.
However, critics say the law could be used to demand the reading records of library or bookstore patrons. “Sneak and Peak” warrants let authorities search a home or business without immediately notifying the target of the search. Critics say that this can allow authorities to use “Sneak and Peak” warrants for minor crimes, and not just terrorist cases. The article also bans material support for terrorists, which could lead to guilty by association (Abramson). As you can see, even if we are going after terrorists the government still has the right to search innocent citizens if they wanted. Innocent people could also get caught in a search that has nothing to do with them as well. The evidence here shows that the government has a lot of power to not just go after terrorists, but also innocent civilians. Innocent people could also get caught in searches if they come into contact with a suspect and that is very wrong. If they get caught in the search they would end up in something that they should not be a part of and could possibly end up in a database without knowing.
Perhaps why most politicians, who were in favor of this law originally, supported it was because it helped fight modern terrorism. Politicians wanted to use The Patriot Act in emergency situations involving terrorism. However, that is not always true. In 2007, a Justice Department audit found that the FBI had used the Patriot Act illegally and improperly to secretly obtain personal information about United States citizens. FBI agents demanded information without proper authorization and improperly obtained telephone records in circumstances that were not emergencies (The Guardian).
In 2003, the New York Times reported on a case of the Patriot Act being used to investigate alleged potential drug traffickers without probable cause. “Justice Department officials said the cases cited in the report represent only a small sampling of the many hundreds of non-terrorism cases pursued under the law.” (Lichtblau).
Perhaps why there are many problems with this law is because it was rushed through Congress. It was signed a month after the September 11th attacks so it was rushed through Congress (New York Times). Congressman Jim McDermott even alleged that no Senator had even read the bill. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. said, "We don't really read most of the bills because it would "slow down the legislative process" (Moore). In 2005 Congress worked together to adjust the law after parts of it expired. Parts were amended to adjust some of the controversial parts, but they are still there (Wikipedia). Even former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales believed that it had to be adjusted because it “gives government too much power to invade the privacy of ordinary Americans and otherwise trample on their rights” (New York Times).
In the book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, politician Ron Paul states that “The Patriot Act is a violates the Constitution by allowing searches and seizures of American citizens and their property without a warrant issued by an independent court upon finding a probable cause.” He goes on to say that we have no way of knowing if our personal records have been handed over to the government to examine (115). The government would never let us know if you would become part of a search database, if we have come into contact with a possible terrorist, or if we have been searched. All of these circumstances violate our right to privacy from the Constitution.
I believe the American people deserve better than this. This is proof that the government has too much power in our lives and it happens in plain sight. Even if this law was originally supposed to be used on terrorists, innocent people still get caught in it. The Patriot Act has taken away American citizens’ constitutional right, and that is very wrong. It has also tampered with the Constitution, which is our supreme law. There must be easier and less violating ways to find terrorists. Before the 9/11 attacks, the United States had never had a problem with terrorism, so we were doing something right. The government should come up with new ways to diffuse terrorism without dispensing our rights. ‘We the people’ deserve better.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
December
It's finally December and I cannot believe it. This year has gone by so fast. Christmas is around the corner and so is the next semester. I am now a mass communication major focusing in journalism. College is a lot of fun so far and I am having a blast. High school sucks compared to college, although I never really liked high school.
I am going to post a report on my opinion of the Patriot Act in a few days when I get a chance to. It just basically covers the problems with it and how it works.
Navy will be playing in the EagleBank Bowl on December 20th, and will be playing an ACC team. Hopefully I can get tickets to see them because the Navy-Notre Dame game I went to this year was amazing.
I also got tickets to go see the Red Sox play during spring training in Tampa, I can't wait to go!
I am going to post a report on my opinion of the Patriot Act in a few days when I get a chance to. It just basically covers the problems with it and how it works.
Navy will be playing in the EagleBank Bowl on December 20th, and will be playing an ACC team. Hopefully I can get tickets to see them because the Navy-Notre Dame game I went to this year was amazing.
I also got tickets to go see the Red Sox play during spring training in Tampa, I can't wait to go!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
No more Coco Crispies
Yesterday the Boston Red Sox traded center fielder Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals for relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez. Coco was traded to the Sox during the 2006 offseason to replace Johnny Damon. He was injured in the beginning of the 2006 season, and never was the same player again. He had lack-luster results in 2006 and 2007. In 2008 he was replaced by rookie Jacoby Ellsbury, however he slumped in his first full season as well. Ellsbury did do well during the playoffs in the ALDS, however was replaced by Crisp in the ALCS do to a slump.
Crisp was excited to see the trade, as he wanted to be an everyday player. "I know my agent had told me there was a possible trade in the works within this week, and all that waiting and anticipating to see if it even happens kind of keeps you on edge," said Crisp. "When I finally got the news that I was going to Kansas City, it was exciting."
Last year, Ramon Ramirez went 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 71 games in 2008. He had 70 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings. "In Ramirez, we believe we've acquired a young, controllable reliever that can really help our bullpen," said Boston GM Epstein. "He has a plus fastball, 92-95 mph, and an outstanding power changeup. A lot of people think it's a split, it's actually a changeup 87-88, that's a swing-and-a-miss pitch for him against left-handed and right-handed hitters. And a pretty good slider to go with it.
All in all this was a pretty good trade. The Sox needed a better arm in the bullpen. Crisp never really developed the results that the Red Sox wanted, and they already have a better and more valuable center fielder. This was a much needed trade for the Boston Redsox, and the Royals, who need better bat in the lineup since they were 75-81 last year.
Bye Bye Coco! We will miss you!
Crisp was excited to see the trade, as he wanted to be an everyday player. "I know my agent had told me there was a possible trade in the works within this week, and all that waiting and anticipating to see if it even happens kind of keeps you on edge," said Crisp. "When I finally got the news that I was going to Kansas City, it was exciting."
Last year, Ramon Ramirez went 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 71 games in 2008. He had 70 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings. "In Ramirez, we believe we've acquired a young, controllable reliever that can really help our bullpen," said Boston GM Epstein. "He has a plus fastball, 92-95 mph, and an outstanding power changeup. A lot of people think it's a split, it's actually a changeup 87-88, that's a swing-and-a-miss pitch for him against left-handed and right-handed hitters. And a pretty good slider to go with it.
All in all this was a pretty good trade. The Sox needed a better arm in the bullpen. Crisp never really developed the results that the Red Sox wanted, and they already have a better and more valuable center fielder. This was a much needed trade for the Boston Redsox, and the Royals, who need better bat in the lineup since they were 75-81 last year.
Bye Bye Coco! We will miss you!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Snow and MVP talk
It finally snowed today!! It was only flurries, but it's still something. I haven't seen snow in this state for almost two years, so it's exciting for me. It's not even Thanksgiving yet, so maybe we might expect some more later this year!
In other news, Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox was awarded the MLB AL MVP today. I am really excited. He got 16 of the 28 first place votes. So far he's won the Gold Glove award, the Silver Slugger award, a World Series Ring, the Rookie of the Year award , and now the AL MVP in the last two years. He's only 25 years old, and is already a great ball player.
In other news, Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox was awarded the MLB AL MVP today. I am really excited. He got 16 of the 28 first place votes. So far he's won the Gold Glove award, the Silver Slugger award, a World Series Ring, the Rookie of the Year award , and now the AL MVP in the last two years. He's only 25 years old, and is already a great ball player.
| 2008 AL MVP Award Voting | |||||||||||
| Player, Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Points |
| Dustin Pedroia, BOS | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 317 | ||||||
| Justin Morneau, MIN | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 257 | |||
| Kevin Youkilis, BOS | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 201 | ||
| Joe Mauer, MIN | 2 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 188 | |
| Carlos Quentin, CWS | 1 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 160 | ||
| Francisco Rodriguez, LAA | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 143 | ||
| Josh Hamilton, TEX | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 112 | ||
| Alex Rodriguez, NYY | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 45 | ||||
| Carlos Pena, TB | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 44 | ||||
| Grady Sizemore, CLE | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 42 | |||||
| Evan Longoria, TB | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 38 | |||||
| Cliff Lee, CLE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | |||||
| Miguel Cabrera, DET | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 17 | ||||||
| Vladimir Guerrero, LAA | 2 | 2 | 1 | 16 | |||||||
| Jermaine Dye, CWS | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14 | |||||||
| Aubrey Huff, BAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | |||||||
| Milton Bradley, TEX | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||||||||
| Jason Bartlett, TB | 1 | 6 | |||||||||
| Mike Mussina, NYY | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| Raul Ibanez, SEA | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Ian Kinsler, TEX | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Ichiro Suzuki, SEA | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Mark Teixeira, LAA | 1 | ||||||||||
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A War In Pakistan?
President-elect Barack Obama is not even in office yet, and is already talking about war. However it’s not the was in Afghanistan or Iraq, it’s in Pakistan. Obama believes it is one of out best intentions to send troops to Pakistan to find Osama Bin-Laden and end terrorism in the Middle East. Obama has even gone as to criticize President Musharraf. "I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again," Obama said. "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."
Obama’s current plan on Iraq is to withdraw troops and to launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to reach a comprehensive compact on the stability of Iraq and the region. If Obama believes this will work with Iraq, he should also launch a diplomatic effort to Pakistan. Pakistan is a very powerful country with nuclear weapons and the last thing the American people want is another war. Fellow democrats are also against going into Pakistan. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn) said "Frankly, I am not sure what Barack is calling for in his speech this morning. But it is dangerous and irresponsible to leave even the impression the United States would needlessly and publicly provoke a nuclear power.” New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, "My international experience tells me that we should address this problem with tough diplomacy with General Musharraf first, leaving the military as a last resort. It is important to reach out to moderate Muslim states and allies to ensure we do not unnecessarily inflame the Muslim world.” Even his vice-president, Joe Biden criticized Obama on this. A statement from Biden's campaign said, "Before writing the law, Biden wrote to President Musharraf and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice making clear his intent to do so.” The statement then went on to ridicule Obama for not asking Amb. John Negroponte at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in January anything about Afghanistan or the Taliban.
A war in Pakistan is the last thing we need to do right now. The most important thing Obama needs to worry about is the current economic crisis. Going into Pakistan is going to be just as worse, if not worse, than Iraq and Afghanistan. Going into both Afghanistan was at first necessary, but it has become a burden on the military and the American taxpayers. There has been little progress and we are still looking for Bin-Laden. Iraq was a giant faux pas that we cannot get out of. We went there to find WMD’s, which we never found, and do extract Saddam Hussein. We eventually got rid of Saddam, however we are still there. Many of the citizens and even other countries are angry that we are over there.
Obama is going to make a big mistake if he decides to send troops to Pakistan. American was born on principles like using military as the last resort. We need to be speaking to them, not declaring war. Words are the strongest action.
Obama’s current plan on Iraq is to withdraw troops and to launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to reach a comprehensive compact on the stability of Iraq and the region. If Obama believes this will work with Iraq, he should also launch a diplomatic effort to Pakistan. Pakistan is a very powerful country with nuclear weapons and the last thing the American people want is another war. Fellow democrats are also against going into Pakistan. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn) said "Frankly, I am not sure what Barack is calling for in his speech this morning. But it is dangerous and irresponsible to leave even the impression the United States would needlessly and publicly provoke a nuclear power.” New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, "My international experience tells me that we should address this problem with tough diplomacy with General Musharraf first, leaving the military as a last resort. It is important to reach out to moderate Muslim states and allies to ensure we do not unnecessarily inflame the Muslim world.” Even his vice-president, Joe Biden criticized Obama on this. A statement from Biden's campaign said, "Before writing the law, Biden wrote to President Musharraf and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice making clear his intent to do so.” The statement then went on to ridicule Obama for not asking Amb. John Negroponte at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in January anything about Afghanistan or the Taliban.
A war in Pakistan is the last thing we need to do right now. The most important thing Obama needs to worry about is the current economic crisis. Going into Pakistan is going to be just as worse, if not worse, than Iraq and Afghanistan. Going into both Afghanistan was at first necessary, but it has become a burden on the military and the American taxpayers. There has been little progress and we are still looking for Bin-Laden. Iraq was a giant faux pas that we cannot get out of. We went there to find WMD’s, which we never found, and do extract Saddam Hussein. We eventually got rid of Saddam, however we are still there. Many of the citizens and even other countries are angry that we are over there.
Obama is going to make a big mistake if he decides to send troops to Pakistan. American was born on principles like using military as the last resort. We need to be speaking to them, not declaring war. Words are the strongest action.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Obama Wins, Chaos Ensues
History has been made here in the United States. A black man is finally president of the United States and I congratulate him for that. It seems like with all of this Pro-Obama propaganda I have seen it seems like most people wanted him to win. My college campus went insane when he was declared the winner. People went into the streets to scream and party. People marched through the streets and down to city hall while chanting and screaming Obama.
However when this was all said and done, is Barack Obama really the right person to be president? It seemed that most people liked him because he was young, better looking, and a better speaker. No one seemed to look at the real topics discussed in the debates. Most people seemed just believe in "hope" "change" and "yes we can". Barack Obama has only been a state senator for about four years and a state legislator for seven years. Is he qualified for a job this big? John McCain on the other hand has been a senator for 20 years, a congressman for four years, and has served in the military and war a war hero in Vietnam.
It seems like Obama might leave broken promises since the only thing people care about was his race, and that he will make change in Washington. Hey Obama, good luck with that because you still have to go through Congress and the Republicans that are still here.
He has a lot of food on his plate that I really don't think he can handle.
However when this was all said and done, is Barack Obama really the right person to be president? It seemed that most people liked him because he was young, better looking, and a better speaker. No one seemed to look at the real topics discussed in the debates. Most people seemed just believe in "hope" "change" and "yes we can". Barack Obama has only been a state senator for about four years and a state legislator for seven years. Is he qualified for a job this big? John McCain on the other hand has been a senator for 20 years, a congressman for four years, and has served in the military and war a war hero in Vietnam.
It seems like Obama might leave broken promises since the only thing people care about was his race, and that he will make change in Washington. Hey Obama, good luck with that because you still have to go through Congress and the Republicans that are still here.
He has a lot of food on his plate that I really don't think he can handle.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Out Of Sox
Last night I had the misfortune to see the Tampa Bay Rays defeat the Boston Red Sox to clinch a world series birth. Jon Lester pitched a good game, but the sox hitters couldn't get on base. The only run Boston scored was a solo homer in the first inning from Dustin Pedroia.
Congrats to the Rays for their first world series birth, but I can't stand their fans. All of their fans are front-runners. They don't show up for the regular season games even though they were one of the best teams in baseball all season long. Instead they showed up for the playoffs, were they probably were still the best team. The locals only became fans when they started winning, after 9 strait losing seasons. All the fans they talk about is that they dethroned the Boston Redsox, and that's all they care about, nothing about the team itself. It's lame.
Anyways that is my rant for the day. I'm still working on a header image for the site, it should be done sometime at the end of the week.
Hopefully I'll have some politics news to talk about. All of this "Joe The Plumber" stuff is riduclous. The has back taxes and doesn't even have a plumbing license, why are we talking about this guy?!
Congrats to the Rays for their first world series birth, but I can't stand their fans. All of their fans are front-runners. They don't show up for the regular season games even though they were one of the best teams in baseball all season long. Instead they showed up for the playoffs, were they probably were still the best team. The locals only became fans when they started winning, after 9 strait losing seasons. All the fans they talk about is that they dethroned the Boston Redsox, and that's all they care about, nothing about the team itself. It's lame.
Anyways that is my rant for the day. I'm still working on a header image for the site, it should be done sometime at the end of the week.
Hopefully I'll have some politics news to talk about. All of this "Joe The Plumber" stuff is riduclous. The has back taxes and doesn't even have a plumbing license, why are we talking about this guy?!
Friday, October 17, 2008
The First Step
Hey everybody, Danny here. This is my first ever blog here, and I just want to let readers now some things about me.
Peace.
- I currently attend Virginia Commonwealth University, I am a freshman majoring in Criminal Justice.
- I love music, and I play guitar.
- Some of my favorite bands include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Beck, Bob Dylan, and Sonic Youth, just to name a few.
- I love the Boston Red Sox, they are my love. I also like the New England Patriots, the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Bruins.
- I am a libertarian, supporting Ron Paul and Bob Barr.
- I love to play videogames.
- I love youtube, I might make a vlog sometime in the future too.
- I love talking about politics and sports
Peace.
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