Montana Legislature Criticizing Patriot Act

[flygal]

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050406/OPINION01/504060303/1014/OPINION


Many votes in the Montana Legislature this year break down pretty clearly by party.

One notable exception was the passage — by wide margins in both houses — of Senate Joint Resolution 19, which criticizes the federal Patriot Act for violating the constitutional rights of citizens.

The resolution strongly defends preserving the liberties guaranteed under the Montana Constitution, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Montana joins four other states and some 375 local governments — along with numerous liberal and conservative interest groups — in condemning portions of the act.

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I'm loving my home state right now!!

[saltpoint]

1. Hey, flygal. This is great news out of Montana.

I credit you with adding it to the good news from your state -- what with the new Democratic governor and all...

Keep up the good work out there!

[riveroffools]

2. IT still has to pass a final vote and that does not look good. Seems

a lot of people are just interested in sending useless messages to Washington DC.

[saltpoint]

3. Well, hell. The thought is pure gold, though.

Ashcroft and Gonzales are a nasty 1-2 punch.

[Tempest]

4. You're wrong on both counts

The legislature is Democrat, and the governor is a Democrat.

And what you see as a useless message, others see as civil disobedience.

I guess you're not aware that states have many obligations under the Patriot Act, and many states are refusing to honor the obligations forced on them by the REPUBLICAN controlled federal government.


Enjoy your short stay at DU.

[flygal]

5. What are you talking about?

"useless message" - did you read the link? The message is to our reps that they overstepped their limits on this one and people have wisened up!

snip

Even worse, you'll probably never know if the feds are snooping around in your records. They're under no obligation to justify their actions.

We all want a secure nation — but not at the expense of becoming a police state. The Patriot Act goes too far, as folks from both the "red" and "blue" sides of politics see.

"I've had more mail on this bill than on any other, and it's 100 percent positive," said Democrat Brady Wiseman of Bozeman about the resolution.

"There is a long conservative tradition in Montana of defending individual liberty," said Republican Rick Maedje of Fortine, who also supported the measure. "This resolution protects our state's rights and is what true Republicans in every red state should be doing."

snip

Montana is not a traditional red state. They are not blindly republican - they like their privacy! I know many of my repug relatives have said the Patriot Act scares them.