What's the Matter with Kansas? Slippery Slopes

Opponents of the Patriot Act have long argued that having such laws are a slippery slope and are open to the most egregious forms of abuse. The very type of abuse many of us who have always opposed the Patriot Act have feared has actually occurred, in Kansas.

http://www.kansas.com/213/story/351592.html

In a recent motion to suppress any evidence from the search, defense lawyer Charles O'Hara argued that the Patriot Act was meant for "serious matters involving national security," not drug cases like the one involving his client, Tyrone Andrews.

"I thought that this Patriot Act was something passed to protect us all from these terrorist acts, and it would be used very judiciously," O'Hara said Monday. "This doesn't seem to be one where these secret searches would be used."

Jim Cross, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Wichita, said the office "believes the evidence in this case was legally obtained."

"I think our legal arguments are clearly stated in the documents we have filed," Cross said. He said he couldn't comment further because the case is before a federal court.

A federal grand jury indictment released Dec. 21 accused Andrews, a 38-year-old aircraft plant worker, and seven other Wichita men of 48 counts of drug-related crimes including trafficking and conspiracy. The government seeks a forfeiture of $300,000 from Andrews.

I won't get into the issue of how stupid our War on Drugs is, and while I do have strong issues with gangs, using the Patriot Act to obtain evidence in a drug case is a serious abuse, and I believe all law enforcement officers involved should be fired, and perhaps even prosecuted. You cannot be an officer of the law if you break the law.

As for how slippery this slope is, it's a very short distance between illegally obtaining evidence related to alleged crimes and obtaining "evidence" in order to create the appearance of a crime. If law enforcement officers are allowed to get away with crimes like the one in Kansas, how hard do you think it would be for law enforcement officers to go after an innocent person as some form of vendetta?

This case is a perfect example of why the Patriot Act should have never been passed.

I know it's so wrong...

...but I loves me some Egg McMuffins! So I do indeed find it sad that the man who created that delectable hand-held breakfast treat has passed on. For all the evils connected or separated by six degrees or more, I have to say that when those things are made just right, there's little else better in my opinion, except for what I used to call the po' boy's egg McMuffin that my dad used to make. Just some white bread toast, some guv'ment cheese, some pan-seared ham, and a fried egg with a runny yolk. That was divine! And the only way that the Egg McMuffin could have been perfected would have been to fry the egg and leave the yolk just runny enough like my old man used to do.

I can already taste breakfast!

The Tide is Turning

Tremendous thanks to Bob Cesca!

Bosnia according to Clinton

This must be the movie she has playing in her head...

Super Rad

Totally retro eye-candy! Yum!

Hillary Clinton, the child molester

That's right, if you follow the logic that Barack Obama is an un-patriotic racist because of something his pastor said (even though his pastor was only repeating the words of a white US Ambassador). By that same logic, Hillary Clinton is a child molester.

If we're going to judge a person by the words - or actions - of their spiritual leaders, then we have to conclude that Hillary Clinton is either a child molester, or she condones such activity, because her pastor, Rev. William Procanick, is now in jail for molesting a child.

Lets hear Clinton and the pundits spin this one.

UPDATE: Thanks to "anonymous" for pointing out - albeit in a rather smug and impolite manner - that the Clinton being referred to here is actually the name of a town in New York. Although nothing I read here, here, here, and here indicated such. I might have been clued in had I paid closer attention to this one.

Tax Fax

Here's a brilliant, if not fun, idea. Fax your tax returns (with private info blacked out) to Hillary's campaign offices. If you can do it, so can she!

Jonathan Alter got it wrong about Clinton's Bosnia Lie

Dear Mr. Alter,

Last night on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, you asserted that Hillary Clinton's lies - or "misstatements," to use her words - about coming under sniper fire, and running with ducked heads across the tarmac on her trip to Bosnia were really no big deal. You were wrong that it is not a big deal, when in fact it is a very big deal. Her campaign is predicated on the notion of her so-called experience in foreign affairs. Her claims about her experience in Bosnia are not based on foggy memories, they are not the same as a fisherman's tall tales, nor are they the same as a modestly embellished tale exaggerated for effect. These claims are not misstatements, they are lies. These lies are part of a coordinated campaign to mislead the electorate into believing that Ms. Clinton has some vast wealth of foreign policy experience, when in fact she does not. To misspeak is one thing, to mislead is something entirely more egregious, and it is a very big deal.

Sincerely,
Jake Barlow
SF, CA

Meet Rick Noriega, the most Progressive Patriot

...and winner of Sen. Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund competition.

Greetings,

I'm proud to announce that the Progressive Patriots community has chosen U.S. Senate candidate of Texas Rick Noriega as our first 'Progressive Patriot' of 2008. Of the thousands of progressives who cast their vote, Rick received the most votes and we'll be sending him a $5,000 contribution today to help his campaign. While I'm sure it was difficult to choose among so many great candidates, we're thrilled to support Rick's campaign for the Senate seat in Texas.

Rick has spent his entire career serving this country. Following a 14 month deployment to Afghanistan, Rick returned to his native Houston to coordinate Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. In addition to his military background, Rick was elected to four terms in the Texas House. I urge you to check out Rick's website at www.ricknoriega.com to learn more about his record and to find out how you can help Rick succeed in November.

We're also proud to have made smaller contributions to the other six great Senate candidates that you nominated. With thousands of progressives voting from all 50 states, this round of 'Pick a Progressive Patriot' was exceptionally close and I'm proud the Progressive Patriots Fund is able to financially support all seven in their campaigns for the U.S. Senate.

Thank you for voting and I look forward to more 'Pick a Progressive Patriot' events as we move closer to the election in November.

Sincerely,

Russ Feingold
United States Senator
Honorary Chair, Progressive Patriots Fund

Quote of the Day

"...I think it is becoming a national imperative to defeat the Clintons." - Andrew Sullivan

Faces of the Dead

This interactive feature from the NY Times is very haunting and moving, not to mention saddening.

Caught in the act

Clinton caught in the act of trying to steal Obama's delegates in Texas. Is this any surprise?

The Obama Doctrine

This is a fantastic read, especially for anyone who thinks Bush's foreign policy - and McCain's extension of it - is smart:

Obama is offering the most sweeping liberal foreign-policy critique we've heard from a serious presidential contender in decades. It cuts to the heart of traditional Democratic timidity. "It's time to reject the counsel that says the American people would rather have someone who is strong and wrong than someone who is weak and right," Obama said in a January speech. "It's time to say that we are the party that is going to be strong and right." (The Democrat who counseled that Americans wanted someone strong and wrong, not weak and right? That was Bill Clinton in 2002.)

China is Getting Ready

A Drug for America's War on Drugs Addiction

Obama out front of foreclosure crisis

He beat Clinton on addressing this matter by a full year! Read his letter to Bernanke and Paulson sent March 22, 2007.

The Intellectual Famine of Larry C. Johnson

First read these: The Audacity of Hopelessness, McCain Channels His Inner Hillary

Then read this: The Intellectual Poverty of Frank Rich

Using anything Paul Krugman says to substantiate attacks against Frank Rich completely discredits any claim made against Obama, or for Clinton. Paul Krugman is a bought and paid for Clintonite, as I suspect Mr. Johnson is too. Like Krugman, Johnson has a difficult time with facts and the truth. In his article, Johnson baldly lies about Obama, and takes Rich's words and presents them out of context, distorting the original message. It is not enough to say that they are intellectually starved, but they both appear to be starved of morals as well. But what can we expect of Clinton supporters? If the candidate herself is morally vacuous, how can her supporters be anything but?

Role Models

A simple question for the parents: Who do you think would serve as a better role model for your children, someone who is willingly to tackle head one of the biggest problems that has faced this country for decades upon decades, or someone who tells bald face lies to score political points?

Tall Tale of Tuzla

The election can't come soon enough!

Think about it folks, John McCain is pegging his presidency to this guy's: