Posted by
arandomguy on Saturday, March 10, 2007 4:09:19 PM
This is a very aggravating story. The details are fairly unclear - some say it was an outright violation, some say they did incorrect paperwork. Regardless, it is not good for the FBI for many reasons, and it is extremely upsetting to me as a conservative.
First, the PATRIOT Act was carefully crafted to give law enforcement the tools it needs. While there are holes in some places, these generally should be amended by other laws, not by breaking the ones that exist. I'm not sure the FBI did this, but its just a warning that should be heeded by all people in government, particularly in law enforcement/espionage work.
According to the latest report, the FBI improperly used the Patriot act to secretly obtain loads of personal information about people, a Judge concluded on Friday. The FBI also has been accused of underreporting data to congress about its use of the PATRIOT act. Attorney General Gonzales has left open the possibility of criminal prosecution, and has ordered a further investigation.
"There is no excuse for the mistakes that have been made, and we are going to make things right as quickly as possible," he said in a speech on Friday. FBI director Robert Mueller said he was to blame for not including more safeguards to protect people. "I am to be held accountable," Mueller said, but said that he does not plan to resign.
Muller also said that scarcely a single terrorist arrest goes by in which the Patriot Act has not been used, which is why it is important to have the Patriot act. I agree, and I realize the necessity of the Patriot act for catching terrorists. However, violations like this are going to upset people in congress and around the country. The FBI must not mess with a good thing. If they do, the Patriot act will likely be repealed, and the FBI will have to go back to pre-9/11 measures to catch terrorists in a post-9/11 world. This will not work, and will open our country up to the possibility of more attacks on our homeland.
So the FBI was stupid here. Regardless of how egregios the violations are, it is important to realize what public (and congressional) reaction is. It is not a good reaction, and too many more mistakes may lead to the Patriot act being repealed. If that happens, I fear the results. So the FBI should shape up and follow everything to the exact letter, so Congress has no reason to get upset (other than the Democrats who are just generally upset the entire time).