The Fourth Amendment???

The constitution of the United States under the fourth amendment clearly states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall [be] issue[d], but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Using the U.S. Constitutions as foundation, how is it possible for President Bush to authorize the National Security Agency to spy on Americans via the internet and phone lines without court approval?

It is understandable that desperate times call for desperate measures and that this is being done for our own “safety”. However, our so called “safety” does not justify the fact that the government is indeed abusing its power and violating our constitutional rights. But wait, it doesn’t end there. Now officials are discussing physical searches of homes and businesses suspected of terrorism, of course without a warrant.

I don’t believe that the President should be allowed to authorize warrant less searches of any kind, let alone homes, with the excuse that it’s for our safety. Americans should be protected without the need to give up any of the rights already granted. There are other ways to protect America and in my eyes this has turned into an abuse of power. President Bush’s steward ways leave me doubtful about what the future will hold. If he has already deprived us of this right, anything can be expected. How far are we willing to let him go?

Commentary: "This is Scary..."

I totally agree with the comments Dan made in this article about the Diebold voting machines. As if the 2000 year election hadn’t been controversial enough with all the vote counts, we now come to find out that the solution to the problem has become an even bigger one. It’s never comforting to hear that within a matter of minutes these machines can be hacked into and potentially change the entire election. Enough citizens are apprehensive about voting because they don’t believe that one vote makes much of a difference to now add fraudulent machines in the picture.

Another one of my concerns is the fact that the chief executive of Diebold Inc. wrote in a letter that he was “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year”. I see eye to eye with Dan when he stated that “Our way of democracy is being threatened” if anyone can just come in and alter the major means by which we voice our opinions. I don’t know that having paper printouts of the voting results will solve the problem but it’s definitely a proposal worth trying.

http://danspolitical.blogspot.com/2007/10/this-is-scary.html