HOW MANY "LITTLE NOTICED PROVISIONS OF THE PATRIOT ACT" ARE THERE TO INEXORABLY ALTER OUR WAY OF LIFE?

The Bush Regime is a cancer on our nation and on our democracy. Later today I want to talk about the role Cheney has had in perverting the clearly defined prerogatives of government agencies like the CIA and Pentagon into spying on Americans domestically in clear violation of the law. He defends this with a spurious claim that the Patriot Act allows it. Today's New York Times points to another insidious use of the Patriot Act: the gross politicization of federal law enforcement.

A few days I brought up the firing of U.S. Attorney for San Diego Carol Lam, the Republican, Bush-appointed Federal Prosecutor who jeopardized the entire Republican criminal enterprise by going after Randy "Duke" Cunningham. The firing of Ms. Lam isn't the only tampering with law enforcement that the Bush Regime is guilty of. Today Times focuses attention on Arkansas, where Bush fired a prosecutor and then appointed a far right extremist and ideological fanatic, an incompetent puppet of Karl Rove who would never have been approved by the Senate. "But the White House took advantage of a little-noticed provision of the Patriot Act, which allows it to do an end run around the Senate. It is particularly dangerous to put United States attorneys’ offices in the hands of political operatives because federal prosecutors have extraordinary power to issue subpoenas and bring criminal charges. The Senate should fix the law and investigate whether such offices in Arkansas and elsewhere are being politicized."


UPDATE: CALIFORNIA, NEW MEXICO, ARKANSAS... AND NOW BUSH STRIKES OUT IN NEVADA

According to today's Las Vegas Review-Journal, "The Bush administration has forced Daniel Bogden out of his position as U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada, Nevada's two senators said Sunday." He had been Ensign's pick and Ensign, a rubber stamp Republican, is pissed. "His priorities, to prevent terrorism and prosecute violent and drug crimes, have made our communities and families safer."