Gary Johnson calls for repeal of the Patriot Act...

[Indi Guy]

Former New Mexico governor and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson called for the Patriot Act to be repealed Sunday night during a national American Civil Liberties Union conference.

The controversial counter-terrorism legislation was approved by Congress following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“Ten years ago, we learned that the fastest way to pass a bad law is to call it the ‘Patriot Act’ and force Congress to vote on it in the immediate wake of a horrible attack on the United States,” Johnson said. “The irony is that there is really very little about the Patriot Act that is patriotic. Instead, it has turned out to be yet another tool the government is using to erode privacy, individual freedom and the Constitution itself.”

Civil liberties advocates have condemned the law because it allows authorities to conduct surveillance without identifying the person or location to be wiretapped, permits surveillance of non-U.S. persons who are not affiliated with a terrorist group, and allows law enforcement to gain access to “any tangible thing” during terrorism investigations....

[link:http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/01/30/gary-johnson-calls-for-repeal-of-the-patriot-act/|

[kestrel91316]

1. Even a stopped watch is right twice a day.

[Uncle Joe]

3. That's true, so long as it's not digital but if a stopped watch is correct twice a day,

why aren't more working watches reflecting this time?

[gopiscrap]

2. Good

too bad the guy is a libertarian freak!

[gateley]

4. We are in agreement with so many of the Libertarian views (this, for example) yet

SO opposed on so many other issues. I find that interesting for some reason.

[Uncle Joe]

5. That's because there are four poles on the political spectrum,

going from left to right that would be liberal and conservative but going from bottom to top that would be libertarian and authoritarian.

The corporate media greatly suppport authoritarian candidates because corporations are authoritarian by nature and their commerical buying clients are corporations.

The American People or citizens have been relegated to customer or consumer status primarily to be sold a candidate, product, down the river or all of he above.

As a result of this long time corporate media bias and brain washing, the primary candidates promoted by said corporate media pretty much all fall into the conservative, authoritarian wing of the political spectrum even most of the Democrats, just not as extreme as the Republicans.

Today about the only candidates sliding closer to the Libertarian point of view are right wingers.

I believe the only time the corporate media gives serious coverage to a left leaning libertarian as happened in 2000 is when the corporate media percieves the Democratic Candidate as either having posed or will pose a threat to the right wing, authoritarian monopoly hold on political power.

[gateley]

10. Very well put, Uncle Joe. nt

[lunatica]

12. I fear you're right

We're seeing more of the extremes, and the enemy of these extremes are not each other, but the moderates. Go figure. They want to destroy the Center.

[JohnnyRingo]

6. Because he knows he'll never have to do it.

If the president repealed the Patriot Act, and then there was a domestic terror attack, items of impeachment would be brought forth by the opposition party, even if the attack could have happened anyway. In Johnson's case, both parties would be the opposition party.

I never approved of the Patriot Act of course, but this is a fact set in stone now. I noted at the time it was enacted that the genie could never be put back in the bottle

[abq e streeter]

7. With all due respect, I don't think it's beause he knows he'll never have to do it.

Gary is an acquaintance of mine. Nothing more than that, and a more or less slight acquaintance at that but if he's anything, he's a straight shooter. Even his political opponents here will generally tell you that. He's gone out on a limb, and taken considerable political risk for strongly advocating things like ending the drug war and he sincerely believes that, as I believe he does with this. Unfortunately, he also truly believes the rest of the libertarian party line, and so is not someone a progressive should even be considering supporting. But he's a decent honest guy who says what he believes as opposed to political posturing. He just, unfortunately, believes mainly in things that are anathema to progressivism.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. Assuming you meant the reply to me, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Since you're obviously closer to the man than I'll ever be, your endorsement of his sincerity goes a long way.

The problem is when honest intent meets reality however, and I still wonder what president, including Gary Johnson, would actually roll the dice on what history could record as the worst ideological act of neglegence ever made by a president. Few may want to rob GWB of that current honor.

I stand by my prediction that if one terrorist slips through the cracks after the Patriot Act is repealed, the political hammer would come down on the administration like we've never seen, and the general public would not find the heart to forgive.

I feel the same about Ron Paul when he promises to eliminate the TSA, ostensibly so his son can get on a plane faster. I believe if he were actually given the chance he'd rethink that possibly sincere campaign vow. No one wants to see an airplane fall fom the sky, and personally I want to know that, on the rare occassion that I fly, no one onboard has a Glock.

Of course the Patriot Act it's self has farther reaching consequenses to our freedom, but jumpy Americans made poor decisions in the aftermath of 9/11 by allowing it to pass, and I don't know that we can go back now.

[abq e streeter]

9. Hello JohnnyR; yeah did mean it as a reply to you

Thank you for your reply to me. You certainly make some good and obviously well thought out points (and of course you'd already done so too); I'd just wanted to comment on Johnson 's being a politician who, right or wrong (more wrong of course, as a mainly right wing libertarian) actually says what he believes and believes what he says.

[fordangelina40]

11. Johnson makes much sense

Johnson makes much sense, and that puts him outside the bounds of Serious Opinion and Discourse in this asylum called Amerika. He is far better than any of the GOP aspirants, and certainly far better than the President of Wall Street. So, he may get 200, 000 votes. But not one of those is wasted, unlike those cast for either of the dismal, corrupt, death dealing, retrogrades of the Major Parties.
sciatic nerve pain

[avote foryou]

13. Gary Johnson has bigger problems - paying his campaign bills

[link:http://hammeroftruth.com/2012/fund-raiser-sues-gary-johnson-top-campaign-staff/|