The death of the 4th amendment...

In the emotional aftermath of 9/11, the Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. While it expanded federal police powers, I think that only the most extreme civil libertarians were upset over its implications.

As it usually does, the federal government wants to expand its power even more as it continues to trample the Constitution.

According to the Miami Herald,

• "We've got to do everything we can to protect the homeland," Bush told the Associated Builders and Contractors at their conference in Washington. "And we are. We're doing a better job of collecting and analyzing intelligence and sharing intelligence."

Does that include granting power to the FBI to create and execute search warrants with no judicial review?

While conservatives were once in favor of States' rights and limited government, I wonder how any person can support a federal police state which offers Citizens no right to appeal or contest a warrant while mandating them to keep secret the fact that information was demanded by the FBI.

The knee-jerk Bushbots only response is to ask critics how their rights have been violated.

The obvious response now would be: how would we know? How do I know if the FBI has unilaterally obtained by bank or medical records, since my doctor and banker cannot tell me?