The shine is really coming off Cruz rather quickly, his support of a secret trade deal that is alleged to really be an open boarders deal and he’s support of the blatantly unconstitutional Patriot Act are causing me to rethink my support of him this primary season. Maybe Jeff Sessions will get in the race.
You don’t get to be a United States Senator (or a governor) without knowing how to play ball. At this point, we’ve got to take a chance on a candidate who will transcend his personal interests and background.
Not Impossible. George Washington could have been president for life. More recently, House Speaker Carl Albert (D-OK) could have easily made himself President in the wake of Watergate, but didn’t just because he didn’t think it was right.
Senator Cruz is increasingly looking like someone whose words and actions tell different stories. Twice now in little over a week, we've seen him standing tall next to Obama.
His supporters should be along shortly to tell us that sending jobs overseas, replacing American workers here with low-wage immigrants and illegal spying on American citizens are issues voters don't really care about and we shouldn't let Cruz's support of these policies blind us to the greatness that is Senator Cruz.
Cruz or lose!!!
I don’t want you to support Cruz. I’ve seen how you think...I’d be nervous if you and I agreed.
Section 201. Authority to intercept wire, oral, and electronic communications relating to terrorism.
Summary: Allows law enforcement to use the existing electronic-surveillance authorities to investigate certain crimes that terrorists are likely to commit.
Myth: "Because the government already had substantial authority under FISA to obtain a wiretap of a suspected terrorist, the real effect of this amendment is to permit wiretapping of a United States person suspected of domestic terrorism." [Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Mar. 19, 2003]
Reality:
Before the PATRIOT Act, law enforcement had the authority to conduct electronic surveillance - by petitioning a court for a wiretap order - when investigating many ordinary, non-terrorism crimes. Agents also could use wiretaps to investigate some, but not all, of the crimes that terrorists often commit.
The non-terrorism offenses for which wiretaps were available included: drug crimes, mail fraud, and passport fraud.
Section 201 enabled investigators to gather information when looking into the full range of terrorism-related crimes, including: chemical-weapons offenses, the use of weapons of mass destruction, killing Americans abroad, and terrorism financing.
Section 201 preserved all of the pre-existing standards in the wiretap statute. For example, law enforcement still must: (1) apply for and receive a court order; (2) establish probable cause that criminal activity is afoot; and (3) first have tried to use "normal investigative procedures."
Section 201 has proven to be extremely useful to law enforcement officials, as several recent wiretap orders have been based on this expanded list of terrorism offenses.
http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/subs/add_myths.htm
Much of the Patriot Act's provisions were already legal and were in use for drug dealers, criminal syndicates, things of that nature. Sure, it's a delayed warrant. You will not know when the government is searching you until later-- but then if you're part of a criminal conspiracy, you don't want to let them all to know you're under surveillance. Again-- this was already legal. If the Patriot Act is unconstitutional, why hasn't Rand Paul or any of his retard followers bothered to go to court about it?
The only complaint people can really have is that the government stores all the phone records. But if they can't even look at it without a warrant, then you have to rely on the idea that the government is violating the law in order to see how many girlfriends you have on the side besides your wife.
It's the hysteria from Rand Paul and his ilk that is largely driving this. During the Bush years it was the Democrats. Do a google search and you will see that the majority of complaints about the Patriot Act come from... guess who... far left politicians and newspapers, even stupid foreign press like the Guardian.
Why does Obama want the Patriot act? Because he knows his party would lose the election if there is a significant terror attack under his watch.