Patriot Act set to be renewed for another four years

Call it crony capitalism, corporatism, pseudo-capitalism, criminal capitalism, whatever.  Big business and big government conspire together to strip average citizens rights in an ever increasing authoritarian regime.

This title pretty much says it all, great article too:
Protecting Us from Our Freedoms: Congress Set to Renew Patriot Act Spy Provisions by Tom Burghardt.

A couple of quotes:

As Salon columnist Glenn Greenwald writes, "the way a republic is supposed to function is that there is transparency for those who wield public power and privacy for private citizens."

 As this filthy system continues to implode amidst an orgy of financial and political corruption that would make a Roman emperor blush, the capitalist oligarchy is hell-bent on shielding themselves from any meaningful oversight or accountability, thus ensuring that the secret state's war on democracy itself continues.

To sum up what's being renewed:

• roving wiretaps.
• business records provision, warrant for any tangible thing.  e.g. financial, medical, phone records
• "loan wolf" provision, allowing surveillance on individuals with the wrong ideological thinking

The Patriot Act is being renewed very quietly with bipartisanship and without debate.  The Patriot Act represents 'old surveillance powers' which are just so 2002.  The current government has been busy expanding its surveillance powers instead of disseminating them.

You can read all about that here:

• The Patriot Act and bipartisanship by Glenn Greenwald
• Resistance is NOT (yet) futile, thanks to Rand Paul by 'pow wow'
• The always-expanding bipartisan Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald

It's funny that when the current government party was not in power they were dead set against the Patriot Act.  Now that the roles are reversed, the descent comes mostly from the opposition - the party who enacted the Patriot Act to begin with.  The articles clearly show how democracy has been hijacked in the US and in particular the senate.

I save the last article for our president who has flip flopped so badly on this issue (and others) that it leaves us with little hope (more Glenn Greenwald):

• Cultivating Hope While Perpetuating Unfairness Is Cruel

This country badly needs political reform (executive, judicial and legislative branches), economic reform and even constitutional changes but we're never going to get them as long as our congressmen and congresswomen are beholden to large corporations.  We can support political action groups and fight these issues one by one:

• http://demandprogress.org
• http://www.commoncause.org
• http://www.progressivesunited.org

Or we can pledge not to vote for candidates who accept large donations or corporate donations.  It doesn't matter if the candidate is Democrat, Republican or other.  Vote for candidates who work for the little guy.  Also, don't support political action group if they in turn support candidates who accepts large donations or corporate donations.

We cannot become disillusioned and give up.  We cannot become complacent with the status quo.  We must not become disheartened and stop voting.  Vote for the candidates who take the pledge.  Call us, 'United Citizens for Peace and Prosperity'.

One final note, exposing war crimes is not a crime.  Free Bradley Manning.  http://www.bradleymanning.org

The Second Coming of the Dark Ages

Worldwide corporatism and its accompanying authoritarianism.  From China to the good ol'USA.

From corporate control of the media:  Rupert Murdoch drops Current Italia in response to Current TV hiring Keith Olbermann:  (story).

To corporate control of education:  Charles Koch buys right to veto hirees in a publicly funded university's economic department. (story).

I am Bradley Manning

PROTECT-IP Act

Friends,

Shhh... We're not allowed to talk about it.  The new Internet Blacklist Bill shows so little regard for free speech and Internet freedom that it would actually ban people from having serious conversations about the new Internet Blacklist Bill. 

It would block "information location tools" from pointing to sites suspected of piracy.  So that means that we couldn't send you an email just like this one with links to the websites that were being prosecuted.

Will you click here to urge Congress to oppose the ridiculous, obscene, draconian, PROTECT-IP Act?

It's not an exaggeration for CNET's headline to shout, "Senate bill amounts to death penalty for websites." They say the draft bill "would certainly sweep in Google, Yahoo, and search engines, and may also cover many other Web sites." 

Please help us fight this legislation, which is far worse than the first Internet Blacklist Bill -- just click here.

Thanks for standing with us,
 -- The Demand Progress team

P.S. The new bill is a "death penalty for websites" and it's moving fast.  Will you forward this email to your friends or share the petition with them using these links? 

	If you're already on Facebook, click here to share with your friends.
	If you're already on Twitter, click here to tweet about the campaign: Tweet