Senate approves USA Act, sends to Bush, Ashcroft vows "newera"

[mmotyka at lsil.com]

measl at mfn.org wrote :
>
>This has got to be the single scariest thing I have *ever* read from any
>government "official".  After reading this, I doubt that the "nuclear
>winter" comments that have been bandied about are going to be very far off
>their mark...
>
>It especially terrifying to note that this "speech" specifically targets
>"sympathizers" as well as actual terrorists.  
>
Even more disturbing are phrases like -

 "Investigators focused on function, not form - they 
  focused on doing what was necessary to get the job 
  done rather than what was dictated by the organizational 
  chart." 
  { like judges }

 "The first principle is airtight surveillance of terrorists."
  { obviously since we can't a priori know who is a terrorist
    and who is not we have to watch everyone. }

 "Communications regarding terrorist offenses such as the use 
  of biological or chemical agents, financing acts of terrorism
  or materially supporting terrorism will be subject to 
  interception by law enforcement."
  { sound like domestic echelon/keywords? is simple discussion
    or browsing enough to grab the attention of the 
    all-seeing eye? }
   
 "As soon as possible, law enforcement will begin to employ 
  new tools that ease administrative burdens and delays in
  apprehending terrorists."
  { we all know what the main burden is }

>J.A. Terranson
>sysadmin at mfn.org
>

I think an off-site backup of personal or "interesting" material is a
good idea.

Mike