"the system works"?

[piranha]

some of you think so. i don't. here's another example of the sort of crap people have to undergo because of the patriot act. i don't mind that there are investigations; i mind a great deal how they are conducted.

for one, if you take somebody's computer (with which they are earning a living), that person ought to be entitled to a replacement machine paid for by the government, and to a full backup, so they can continue to work while the investigation is ongoing. secondly, everything that was taken ought to be returned in full working order (or replaced) when the investigation has not resulted in any charges being filed after a reasonable amount of time. thirdly, if no charges are filed, everyone who has been interviewed -- neighbours, co-workers, employers -- should receive a letter from the investigating agency stating that the investigation did not result in any charges, to at least clear the person to some degree of the suspicions cast upon them. INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, dammit.

this carte blanche BS with its incredibly broad reach has got to stop. it's not how i'd want my government to behave. i hope it's not how a lot of americans want theirs to work either.

if you're naturally curious and like to check things out in-depth for yourself, your browsing and buying habits can clearly now land you in a world of trouble.

Comments

[king-tirian.livejournal.com]

I agree about the reimbursement for damages, and I'm a little naive on that point because I thought that the fourth and fifth amendments enumerated that right and that there was some sort of under-reported Claims Adjuster General who went around making things right afterwards. But dag, bugging the computer before they give it back is just lame.

The "innocent until proven guilty" part reminds me of the people who threw around their first amendment rights on news.groups. When you have been indicted by a grand jury, then that clicks in. But the nature of investigation has got to be deeper than seeing nothing on the surface and moving on -- there's got to be at least a thread of prosecutorial vigilance there.

And vindication is too much to ask for, because they didn't prove that she's not a terrorist. (Indeed, even courts return a verdict of "not guilty" because how are they to know that you didn't do it?) If she wants that, I suppose she could get a job at the Pentagon and then survive the (I imagine much more intrusive, although probably less destructive) security clearance process and THEN she'll have a positive result to report to her friends and neighbors.

I suppose that sucks, but if the government started handing out Get Out of Jail Free cards that would allay the fears of friends and neighbors, then the Bad Guys would just make crackpotted LiveJournal posts and get cleared before moving on to the critical phases of their plans.