Newt Gingrich opened tonight’s CNN debate by saying he would support strengthening the Patriot Act, the controversial law that vastly expanded the reach of America’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
“I think you want to use every tool you can possibly use,” the former Speaker of the House said.
That doesn’t exactly square with what Gingrich wrote in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle in 2003:
While I applaud the great successes of the Patriot Act in aiding law enforcement and intelligence agencies, agencies that have successfully disrupted terrorist plots and cells within the United States, I strongly believe the Patriot Act was not created to be used in crimes unrelated to terrorism. . . .
We must demonstrate to the world that America is the best example of what a solid Constitution with properly enforced laws can bring to those who desire freedom and safety. If we become hypocrites about our own legal system, how can we sell it abroad or question legal systems different than our own?
I strongly believe Congress must act now to rein in the Patriot Act, limit its use to national security concerns and prevent it from developing “mission creep” into areas outside of national security.
[VIA WHAT REALLY HAPPENED]
What a douchebag. “We must demonstrate to the world that America is the best example of what a solid Constitution with properly enforced laws..” – YEA.. Um, the constitution can’t protect you from the fascist state Gingrich has LONG been a tool for. Ever heard of Enumerated powers Newt. The only solid constitution Gingrich knows .. well, let’s not go there. FU Newt.
Under the guise of fighting terrorism, the Patriot Act was adopted WITHOUT public approval or vote just weeks after the events of 9/11. Such an unconstitutional set of laws should be abolished seeing as they violate human rights and due process. A mere 3 criminal charges of terrorism a year attributed to this act, which is mainly used for no-knock raids leading to drug-related arrests without proper cause for search and seizure. The laws are simply a means to spy on our own citizens and to detain and torture dissidents without trial or a right to council. You can read much more about living in this Orwellian society of fear and see my visual response to these measures on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/living-in-society-of-fear-ten-years.html