Bill to Protect Your E-Mail Privacy Gives Feds Power to Read It Without a Warrant

So, where are all those Lefturds and Libtards who were screaming bloody murder when the Patriot Act was thrust upon us?

Yeah. That’s what I thought…

Senate bill rewrite lets feds read your e-mail without warrants
CNET

Proposed law scheduled for a vote next week originally increased Americans’ e-mail privacy. Then law enforcement complained. Now it increases government access to e-mail and other digital files.

A Senate proposal touted as protecting Americans’ e-mail privacy has been quietly rewritten, giving government agencies more surveillance power than they possess under current law.

CNET has learned that Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, has dramatically reshaped his legislation in response to law enforcement concerns. A vote on his bill, which now authorizes warrantless access to Americans’ e-mail, is scheduled for next week.

Leahy’s rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies — including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission — to access Americans’ e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge.

[...]

Markham Erickson, a lawyer in Washington, D.C. who has followed the topic closely and said he was speaking for himself and not his corporate clients, expressed concerns about the alphabet soup of federal agencies that would be granted more power:

“There is no good legal reason why federal regulatory agencies such as the NLRB, OSHA, SEC or FTC need to access customer information service providers with a mere subpoena. If those agencies feel they do not have the tools to do their jobs adequately, they should work with the appropriate authorizing committees to explore solutions. The Senate Judiciary committee is really not in a position to adequately make those determinations.”

The list of agencies that would receive civil subpoena authority for the contents of electronic communications also includes the Federal Reserve, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Maritime Commission, the Postal Regulatory Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Mine Enforcement Safety and Health Review Commission.

[...]

5 Senate Tossup Races to Watch

Here in Missouri, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) is considered a tossup when matched with challenger Sarah Steelman (R), who has an 8-point lead as of yesterday.  

After the SCOTUS ruling saying that Obamacare is just another tax on the poor and middle Americans, I’m thinking Sarah Steelman is going to pull way out in front.

After all, in 2006, McCaskill won the senate race by only 2.3 percent of the total vote even after ACORN stole the election for her.  

Also, Missourians are very much opposed to the Obamacare tax which McCaskill voted for.  In fact, during the 2010 “Bay of Libs” election cycle, 71 percent of Missouri’s voters rejected the Obamacare tax via passage of Prop. C.

So, long story short, unless Sarah Steelman makes a major misstep, Claire McCaskill is toast here in Missouri.

Unfortunately, the other senate tossups are not as clear cut.  My fellow Tea Partiers in those states need to really kick it up a notch or two if they want to have any shot at picking up the senate:

Obamacare Democrats Find Themselves in GOP Crosshairs
NewsMax.com

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Obamacare puts a number of Senate Democrats who voted for the healthcare overhaul and are seeking re-election in the crosshairs of the GOP.

Of the 60 Democrats and independents that voted to approve President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, 15 are up for re-election this year. The GOP needs to pick up four seats to take control of the Senate should Obama win re-election; three should Mitt Romney win, as his GOP vice president would break the tie.

Of those seeking re-election, the GOP’s best chance for pickups are most likely in Florida, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Michigan.

Republican candidates were leading in two of those five states —Missouri and Montana — based on the latest TPM Poll Averages as of Thursday — while the Republican challenger was nipping at the heels of the Democrat incumbent in Florida.

[...]

Here is a look at the key five contests based on the latest TMP Poll Averages:

Missouri: Incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill trails Republican Sarah Steelman by an 8-point margin — 48.7 to 40.7 percent. McCaskill is a big target for the GOP with many experts predicting that Republicans will not pick up the seats it needs to take the Senate unless they can win here.

Montana: Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg is holding onto a narrow 2-point lead over Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, 49 to 47 percent.

Florida: Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., enjoys a slight 2.1-point lead over Republican challenger Connie Mack — 41.6 to 39.5 percent.

Ohio: Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is leading by 11.4 points over Republican challenger Josh Mandel — 48 to 36.6 percent.

Michigan: Democrat Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., has an 11-point lead over Republican Pete Hoekstra — 48.7 to 37.7 percent.

Blunt Amendment Defeated in Senate

There’s only a “separation of church and state” when the Libtards and Lefturds want to keep you from freely practicing your religion in public; the rest of the time, they dispense with their “separation” mantra and use the “state” to cram unconstitutional legislation down your throat.  I think the following example illustrates quite clearly what I am talking about:

Blunt amendment defeated in Senate
By JENNIFER HABERKORN and KATE NOCERA – Politico

The Senate defeated Sen. Roy Blunt’s amendment to allow employers to refuse to cover health services Thursday, dealing Republicans a high-profile setback in the fight over the Obama administration’s contraception coverage mandate.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, the Maine Republican who this week said she would not run for reelection, joined nearly all Democrats in a 51-48 vote to dispense of the amendment, which would have allowed employers to decline to cover certain health benefits that conflict with their religious beliefs.

No surprise there.  Olympia Snowe has always been a RINO.  Good riddance!

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted for the proposed amendment to the Senate transportation bill, saying the Obama administration did not respond to her concerns about whether self-insured health plans of faith-based organizations would be exempt from the contraception coverage mandate. So did Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who this week questioned why Republicans were voting on the proposal now.

Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania joined Republicans in support of the amendment.

There you have it; only three Democrats in the Senate understand the phrase, “Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Democrats said the amendment was too broad and would have been an attack on women’s health. But Blunt (R-Mo.) vowed that the vote won’t be the end of the debate over the contraception coverage rule — and predicted that the Supreme Court might have the final say by striking it down.

“This issue will not go away unless the administration takes it away by giving people of faith those First Amendment protections” to refuse to cover services if they have moral or religious objections, Blunt said during the floor debate.

Republican supporters said Blunt’s amendment was an attempt to ensure religious-affiliated employers wouldn’t have to cover contraceptives or other products that conflict with their religious beliefs.

“Most of us probably assumed that if religious liberty were ever seriously challenged in this country, we could always expect a robust bipartisan defense of it at least from within the Congress itself,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on the Senate floor Thursday. “But unfortunately that’s not the situation we find ourselves in.”

[...]

Republican presidential front-runner Gov. Mitt Romney added fuel to the fiery debate Wednesday when he said he opposed the amendment because he didn’t want to wade into “questions about contraception within a relationship between a man and a woman.” Shortly after, he said he misunderstood the question and did support the proposal.

LOL!  Still playing both sides of the field, Mr. Romney?

Senate Approves Indefinite Detentions for Americans on American Soil

Apparently, they don’t understand the U.S. Constitution, nor do they wish to win re-election! 

…You know, those FEMA camps are started to look less and less like a conspiracy theory:

H/T – Gonzo

‘Indefinite Detention’ Bill Passes Senate 93-7
Americans completely stripped of all rights under Section 1031
Paul Joseph Watson – Infowars.com – Friday, December 2, 2011

The Senate last night codified into law the power of the U.S. military to indefinitely detain an American citizen with no charge, no trial and no oversight whatsoever with the passage of S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act.

One amendment that would have specifically blocked the measures from being used against U.S. citizens was voted down and the final bill was passed 93-7.

Another amendment introduced by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein that attempted to bar the provision from being used on American soil, an effort to ensure “the military won’t be roaming our streets looking for suspected terrorists,” also failed, although Feinstein voted in favor of the bill anyway.

Feinstein was able to include a largely symbolic amendment which states that “nothing in the bill changes current law relating to the detention of U.S. citizens and legal aliens,” but this measure is meaningless according to Republican Congressman Justin Amash, a fierce critic of the bill.

“Some have asserted that Sen. Feinstein’s amendment, S Amdt 1456, protects the rights of American citizens and preserves constitutional due process. Unfortunately, it does not. It’s just more cleverly worded nonsense,” Amash wrote on his Facebook page.

Though the White House has threatened to veto the bill, the fact that Obama administration lawyers yesterday reaffirmed their backing for state sponsored assassination of U.S. citizens would suggest otherwise. Not voting for the bill, or in other words upholding the oath to protect the Constitution, has been described over and over again as “political suicide”.

“The bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent, American citizens and others are at greater risk of being locked away by the military without charge or trial,” said Christopher Anders, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

As Spencer Ackerman highlights, the bill completely violates the sixth amendment in that it allows American citizens to be locked up indefinitely, including in a foreign detention center, without any burden of proof whatsoever. An American merely has to be declared a terrorist and they can be abducted off the streets and never seen again.

Boxer to Introduce “Common-Sense” Firearms Act

Yup, nothing like a progressive commie like Babs flagrantly plagiarizing the title of Thomas Paine’s inspirational pamphlet, “Common Sense,” and splicing it directly into the title of her piece of crap gun control legislation.

First of all, I highly doubt Babs has even read Paine’s “Common Sense.”  Well…  Maybe she has and that is what has Babs so worried.  After all, Thomas Paine once famously said, “Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property… Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them.”  And, we all know that Babs is yet another progressive-commie invader plundering America’s property.

Secondly, considering that this current Congress has voted into effect a rule of order in which one must cite appropriate authorization from the U.S. Constitution when introducing legislation, I am quite curious as to what part of “shall not be infringed” she will choose to hang her guns upon.

Thirdly, John Boehner has an A rating from the NRA.  I highly doubt he will jeopardize that particular rating just because Barbara Boxer is afraid of guns.  Good luck getting your anti-gun bill out of committee, Babs!  Hehehehe.

And, finally, this just goes to show that commies like Babs will use any excuse, any “crisis,” anything they can dream of in order to deprive the public’s rightful access to guns.  Why?  Because they know, and we all know—whether instinctive or not—that guns and the “militia,” right now, are the only things keeping America from tumbling headlong into a full-blown commie-progressive dictatorship:

Boxer to Introduce Common-Sense Concealed Firearms Act of 2011

Press Release from Barbara Boxer:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today announced that [...] she will introduce the Common-Sense Concealed Firearms Act of 2011, which would require all states that allow residents to carry concealed weapons in public to have minimum standards for granting permits.

Senator Boxer said, “The tragic events in Tucson earlier this month are a reminder of why we need common-sense gun laws. This measure will establish reasonable permitting standards for Americans who wish to carry concealed firearms. According to a recent poll, more than 60 percent of respondents believe there should be a reasonable permitting process for those who wish to carry concealed firearms.”

Senator Boxer’s legislation would require all states that allow residents to carry concealed weapons to establish permitting processes that would include meaningful consultation with local law enforcement authorities to determine whether the permit applicant is worthy of the public trust and has shown good cause to carry a concealed firearm.

Currently, two states do not permit residents to carry concealed firearms, while three states, including Arizona, allow residents to carry concealed firearms in public without a permit. The other 45 states require residents to obtain permits to carry concealed firearms, but the majority of these states would not meet the standard set in this bill.

Senator Boxer plans to introduce the legislation when the Senate reconvenes next week.

“Progressive” Senators to Pass START Treaty

Yup.  Months ago, I warned you all about a lame duck session gone wild.  Well, here it is.

The START treaty is yet another ploy by the Obama administration to reduce America’s strength and offer her up on the chopping block for Obama’s communist buddies.

U.S. Set to Approve Russia Nuclear Arms Pact
Published December 22, 2010 | FoxNews.com

The U.S. Senate was poised to approve a nuclear arms pact with Russia on Wednesday in what would be the latest in a string of legislative victories for President Obama after his party was soundly beaten in the midterm elections last month.

The Senate voted 67-28 to advance the legislation on Tuesday, easily exceeding the 60 votes required. Earlier, Republicans senators expressed outrage as Obama secured enough votes for ratification.

At least 10 Republicans publicly announced their support for the accord, including Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, putting it on a virtual glidepath to ratification by Wednesday night.

The Constitution requires two-thirds of those voting in the Senate to ratify the pact. Democrats needed at least nine Republican votes.

At a GOP news conference, Republicans who oppose the treaty warned of the consequences.

“Well this is a joke,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., adding that he believes the administration gave up too much to the Russians to negotiate the treaty.

“When you want zero nukes in the world, you’re not an effective negotiator,” he said.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said it’s clear the administration is checking the box on many issues without any substance behind the box.

“We join millions of Americans who are outraged,” he said, adding that it is being crammed under the cover of Christmas.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, also oppose the START agreement.

American Hero – It’s Time to Send the Hippies Home!

It starts out a little slow, but stay with it:

Democrats Unlikely to Get Any Help from the Economy

Really?  Gee, they destroy America’s economy and then can’t understand why the economy isn’t booming.  Sheer insanity:

Democrats Face Economic Facts: Updraft Unlikely

By LAURA MECKLER – WSJ

WASHINGTON—The string of bad news about housing, employment and economic growth has led Democrats to an inescapable conclusion: the economy is not likely to improve in time to help them in the fall elections.

Congressional Democrats and the White House will continue their attempts to enact policies they believe will boost the economy—and which are also aimed at persuading voters they are working to make things better. But some officials acknowledge it is too late for these initiatives to change the economic situation ahead of the Nov. 2 elections.

“We begin early voting in about 33 days. It would be hugely unrealistic to anticipate some kind of monumental economic turnaround between now and when people start casting our votes,” said Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who faces a tough re-election race. “I’m having to deal with the reality of what is. You can’t wish it away. What is, is.”

Democrats won big in 2008, partly because they were able to blame Republicans for economic woes. And while the economic situation remained dire when President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, most Democrats assumed that the economy would rebound by the time they stood for office this year.

A series of disappointing economic reports has made clear that won’t be the case. The most recent one came Friday, when the government reported that the economy grew at a much slower pace in the second quarter than previously estimated. The gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic output, grew at a 1.6% annual rate, down from an initial estimate of 2.4%, and slower than 3.7% in the first quarter.

Republicans say the Democratic agenda is to blame for the bad economic news.

“Today’s disappointing GDP report caps off another week’s worth of evidence that President Obama must change course and abandon his job-killing policies to end the uncertainty that is keeping people out of work,” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) said Friday.

Commies Seize Control of Financial Sector

Historically, whenever the federal government takes control over a large chunk of the  private sector, the economy tanks.  Get ready for that double-dip:

Senate Passes Sweeping Finance Overhaul

By VICTORIA MCGRANE  And MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN – WSJ

WASHINGTON—The Senate approved a wide-ranging overhaul of the nation’s financial regulations Thursday, handing President Barack Obama his second major domestic-policy victory of the year.

The legislation passed, 60-39, largely along party lines. Republicans Sens. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, joined Democrats in supporting the bill. Sen. Russ Feingold (D., Wisc.) was the only Democrat to vote against the measure.

[What?  You thought Scott Brown was going to swoop in and save the day or something?  Phhhhttt!  Yeah, right.  He's another "Progressive" Republican.]

The GOP votes were only secured in recent days after some last-minute changes were made to satisfy concerns of the Republican swing voters over how to pay for the bill.

The bill, which Mr. Obama expects to sign into law next week, marks a sea change for the financial-services industry. Mammoth financial firms such as J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. face major changes to almost every part of their businesses, from debit cards to derivatives trading and the ability to invest in hedge funds.

[Did you know that J.P. Morgan saved the United States from complete financial collapse---not once, but twice?!!

Dust off your American history books and check out the years  1895 and 1907.

My, my, my--- I'm thinking the Commies are still pretty sore about that and this is all part of their revenge...]

Not only will they face new leverage and capital requirements, but also regulators with broad new authority to curb or outlaw risky behavior. The changes are in store despite Wall Street’s aggressive efforts over the last year to water down or derail the bill.

[Gee, ya' think Wall Street will go into Bull mode or Bear mode tomorrow?  Place yer bets!]

Future Lame Duck Congressional Commies Intend to Implement “Scorched Earth” Policy

We’ve been warning about a lame duck session of Congress implementing a plethora of radical “reform” on the way out the door.  Well, now it would appear that our fears are well founded:
The Obama-Pelosi Lame Duck Strategy
Union ‘card-check,’ cap and trade, and so much more.

By JOHN FUND – 9 Jul 2010 – WSJ

Democratic House members are so worried about the fall elections they’re leaving Washington on July 30, a full week earlier than normal—and they won’t return until mid-September. Members gulped when National Journal’s Charlie Cook, the Beltway’s leading political handicapper, predicted last month “the House is gone,” meaning a GOP takeover. He thinks Democrats will hold the Senate, but with a significantly reduced majority.

The rush to recess gives Democrats little time to pass any major laws. That’s why there have been signs in recent weeks that party leaders are planning an ambitious, lame-duck session to muscle through bills in December they don’t want to defend before November. Retiring or defeated members of Congress would then be able to vote for sweeping legislation without any fear of voter retaliation.

“I’ve got lots of things I want to do” in a lame duck, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D., W. Va.) told reporters in mid June. North Dakota’s Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, wants a lame-duck session to act on the recommendations of President Obama’s deficit commission, which is due to report on Dec. 1. “It could be a huge deal,” he told Roll Call last month. “We could get the country on a sound long-term fiscal path.” By which he undoubtedly means new taxes in exchange for extending some, but not all, of the Bush-era tax reductions that will expire at the end of the year.

In the House, Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters last month that for bills like “card check”—the measure to curb secret-ballot union elections—”the lame duck would be the last chance, quite honestly, for the foreseeable future.”