HA ha...
and the RATS take another one in the...
Posted on 10/27/2006 8:49:26 PM PDT by Valin
DETROIT (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union on Friday dropped a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the USA Patriot Act. The ACLU said it was withdrawing the lawsuit filed more than three years ago because of ``improvements to the law.'' The Justice Department argued last month that amendments approved by Congress in March 2006 had corrected any constitutional flaws in the Patriot Act. "While the reauthorized Patriot Act is far from perfect, we succeeded in stemming the damage from some of the Bush administration's most reckless policies," Ann Beeson, associate legal director of the ACLU in New York, said in a written statement.
The lawsuit, filed in July 2003 on behalf of the Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor and five other nonprofit groups, was the first legal challenge to Section 215, the part of the Patriot Act that lets federal agents obtain such things as library records and medical information. The ACLU said the revisions allow people receiving demands for records to consult with a lawyer and challenge the demands in court.
The Justice Department, which first asked that the lawsuit be dismissed in December 2003, said it was pleased by the ACLU's action, which was contained in a one-paragraph notice filed with U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood in Detroit. "We ... reiterate that the Patriot Act is a legitimate and important tool that has better helped law enforcement fight terrorism while simultaneously protecting our valued civil liberties," Justice spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos said.
The ACLU argued that Section 215, which allows the FBI access to any ``tangible things'' such as books and documents through an order from a secret court, does not require investigators to show probable cause. It asked that the Justice Department be barred from using the provision. Hood ruled on Oct. 3 that the ACLU's clients had shown they were harmed by the anti-terrorism law adopted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and that the lawsuit could proceed. But the ruling came after the law had been amended, prompting the ACLU to drop its case.
The ACLU said it would continue to monitor how the government applied Section 215 and would remain ready to defend any individual, business or organization receiving demands for information under the provision. The group also said it is continuing its legal fight against a more frequently used provision of the Patriot Act that authorizes national security letters. Such letters allow the executive branch of government to obtain records about people in terrorism and espionage investigations without a judge's approval or a grand jury subpoena.
Translation: "We knew from the get-go that our lame-ass lawsuit had no legs but because we are too stupid to realize that we are really a prize-winning pack of traitors and Demo-tramps, we had to make a show of it anyway. After all, pointless sniping and slander is our stock in trade."
They really should. The Patriot Act was written by Gary Hart and ANdrew Young and thus represents "their" side on the political spectrum.
I'm sure the DUmmies will be in agony over this.
Wow. They blinked.
Either that, or they're waiting to see how the election comes out.
When are they not in agony or have their panties in a bunch over one thing or another?
ACLU= All Communist Lovers Unite.
My take as well...
My guess is that they decided it wasn't going to win them any support, going against pragmatic laws designed to keep U.S. citizens alive.
As much as it must have made them sorrowfull to have to take this route, I don't see they had much choice.
Awwwwwwwww...
Maybe we should send them some happy face cards.
This is a purely political move by the ACLU. They don't want to hurt the demonrats chances in the coming election since it shows how weak they are on the terrorism issue. They'll refile the lawsuit shortly after the election.
.....but...but... Harry Reid told us he killed the Patriot Act.
well, it's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!
For the ACLU:
Charlie Brown goes Jihad
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/
Now I wonder if the Democrats will do the same?
Boy, there's a red alert! If the ACLU is for the Patriot Act, there must be something subversive or tyrannical about the act that we missed. Time to go back and read the fine print.
I think the ACLU s*cks. Their attack against the Patriot Act has been a lot of left-wing funded hot air.
That said, isn't the only taxpayer money that the ACLU gets is from collecting lawyer fees when winning cases against a government?
That figures. I would like to see the names of the other nonprofit groups.
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