Hugo Chavez, Liberal Hero
June 3rd, 2008 at 01:01am Mark Noonan
And, naturally, a fascist:
President Hugo Chávez has used his decree powers to carry out a major overhaul of this country’s intelligence agencies, provoking a fierce backlash here from human rights groups and legal scholars who say the measures will force citizens to inform on one another to avoid prison terms.
Under the new intelligence law, which took effect last week, Venezuela’s two main intelligence services, the DISIP secret police and the DIM military intelligence agency, will be replaced with new agencies, the General Intelligence Office and General Counterintelligence Office, under the control of Chávez.
The new law requires people in the country to comply with requests to assist the agencies, secret police or community activist groups loyal to Chávez. Refusal can result in prison terms of two to four years for most people and four to six years for government employees.
No different from Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Ho, Pol Pot…each, in turn, enjoyed their period of gushing support from the American left, and each of whom became a brutal, fascist dictator. Now Chavez. Any leftists out there want to rethink their earlier statements about how he was just fighting off Yankee Imperialism?
Entry Filed under: Foreign Affairs, Kook Left
29 Comments
1. Cavalor Epthith, Esquire, D.S.V.J. | June 3rd, 2008 at 6:21 am
Have you ever read the USA PATRIOT ACT?
2. Danish Artist | June 3rd, 2008 at 6:21 am
Hitler did this also. Since Chavez could not be made ruler for life, will he use this on his political opponents and those who support them?
The people’s Gestapo.
Will there be a new Berlin?
How’s that nationalization of their oil coming along?
Still not up to previous production?
But what is important is now the government gets that money?
Pay attention libs. This is exactly what your leaders want a la Waters, Obama, Edwards, etc. etc..
Nationalize everything. Keep profits out of the hands of those greedy corporations and give them to the government - everything will be okay.
Meanwhile, spy on your neighbor. It will be good for society. Let’s see….political correctness…anti-spanking laws, etc. etc.
Sig Hiel!
3. Cavalor Epthith, Esquire, D.S.V.J. | June 3rd, 2008 at 6:30 am
2. Danish Artist | June 3rd, 2008 at 6:21 am
Okay that might be afun read for the kids in the trailer parks but the US is a capitalist juggernaut made up of massive corporate citizens worth trillions and individuals that spend 13 trillion per year in the US economy. I do not care what you call them “libs” Libruls” or whatever those people of means are not going to see the flow of their golden trough dry up because of the rantings of some insignificant member of Congress or even the president no matter who they might be.
The business of america is business; all of this partisan fun you are having is bread and circuses for the middle, working and lower classes which are akin to the mating dances of a tropical bird that does not get chosen by a female–all show and no action.
Had their been no Adolf Hitler I wonder who Americans would compre their political opposition to? Napoleon? Saladin? Genghis Khan?
4. Ryan | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:18 am
Cavalor. .
that you can even TRY to compare the Patriot act to Chavez’s actions proves that you have absolut5ely nothign serious to say.
5. JPL | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:30 am
I second Ryan. Cavalor, you just proved how deranged you are.
6. Cavalor Epthith, Esquire, D.S.V.J. | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:46 am
4. Ryan | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:18 am
5. JPL | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:30 am
I take those comments as a “No,’ that neither of you have read the USA PATRIOT Act in its entirety. More’s the pity there innit? Just because you make a law in response to an emotional event where many people are killed does not mean it is always in your best interests Go and read the thing over the next week and then come back and tell me you live in the same country you lived in on 10 September 2001.
A real republic would not have to change its laws regarding ITS OWN PEOPLE to catch those that want to do them harm. PUT DOWN THE FLAG AND READ THE ACT.
7. CanadianObserver | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:17 am
A real republic would not have to change its laws regarding ITS OWN PEOPLE to catch those that want to do them harm.
6. Cavalor Epthith, Esquire, D.S.V.J. | June 3rd, 2008 at 7:46 am
What should have been a matter for international police action, instead, turned into a complete fiasco due the inept and dangerous decisions made by the Bush Administration.
Hundreds of thousands of needless deaths and injuries,
the financial cost to U.S. citizens, and the Constitution, which in the eyes of your President is just a God-damn piece of paper; America disgraced.
8. Pain | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:31 am
No different from Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Ho, Pol Pot…each, in turn, enjoyed their period of gushing support from the American left, and each of whom became a brutal, fascist dictator.
This is comedy worthy of the Bard! When reagan supported the Nicarguan resistance they are “freedom fighters’ yet when a man like Ho seeks to drive French colonial power out of his land he is a “brutal dictator.” The only reason Ho, Pot or Mao are in that list is because of American defeats in wars both military and economic. How much American debt related paper sits on the desk of Hu Jintao this morning? 3 trillion USD? What would the effect of calling in one of those coupons be on the US economy? We do not hink you want to really know. Hugo Chavez is not America’s problem, American debt held abroad is America’s problem.
A last query about something that fascinates Us where is America’s “sovereign wealth fund?”
9. HarkeysBar | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:50 am
“..gushing support from the American left?”
List out who supports Chavez….. This is just another blanket statement to rile the kook-right base on the site. Laughable….
10. Bigfoot | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
No different from Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Ho, Pol Pot…each, in turn, enjoyed their period of gushing support from the American left, and each of whom became a brutal, fascist dictator.
Yes, Mark, these dictators were all brutal , but they were (or are) all communists. Perhaps you should change “fascist” to “marxist”, unless you think that communism should be considered a subset of fascism.
Have you ever read the USA PATRIOT ACT?
Here’s a place where you can do that. On the left, there is a link to the full text.
The only reason Ho, Pot or Mao are in that list is because of American defeats in wars both military and economic.
Ho Chi Minh became the leader of North Vietnam because of the French defeat, not the American one, which took place in 1975, six years after Ho died.
Mao took control of China after a long civil war, which was actually interrupted by the Japanese invasion that helped cause WW2, in which the US was victorious.
On the other hand, you are correct about Pol Pot, who came to power in the aftermath of the US abandonment of South Vietnam. Other than that, your sense of history, Pain, is the real comedy worthy of the Bard.
11. Jay Gaultieri | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
Hugo Chavez’s popularity can be traced directly to his anti-Bush rhetoric. President Bush gets welcomed in the Ukraine and pre-screened groups of supporters in the US and nowhere else.
The concept of Chavez being a hero to Americans who don’t like President Bush (read: Most Americans) exists pretty much in the rhetoric of the hard right and nowhere else.
12. Pain | June 3rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
10. Bigfoot | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
No offense Bigfoot but We think a non partisan site like the Library of Congress would be more suitable than that trip to ConservoLand. We often wonder why the Right cannot allow their own acolytes to use neutral sites filled with only facts and no drumbeating for their cause.
13. HarkeysBar | June 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
I wouldn’t call the Department of Justice website ‘Conservoland’ but to each their own.
14. Pain | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
11. Jay Gaultieri | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
Do not forget Albania, where Dubya is more popular than he is in the United States!
Bush is HUGE in Albania which has always been a bulwark of capitlaist democracy civil liberties and freedom especially under the rule of president Enver George Washington Hoxha.
15. Pain | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:06 pm
10. Bigfoot | June 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
Who replaced the Colonial French in Vietnam after 1958? When were the first advisors in Vietnam from US shores? When was the Tet offensive? And yes the NVA and Viet Cong lost Tet but they won the war did they not? These are historical facts not ideological musings or patriotic wound lickings.
16. Pain | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
13. HarkeysBar | June 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
Considering how politicized the DOJ has become in the last five years I think that moniker fits quite well. We fear that it will take a solid Terran decade to weed out the cancer that has been planted in the DOJ in the form of Bible College Girls like Monica Goodling at executive levels and the numbers of authoritatians and theocrats from places like Regent University in career Justice posts.
17. Mortimer | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I was walking around a campus the other day, and you know what. I didn’t didn’t see any Venezuelan flags or pictures of Chavez. So where is all this gushing leftist support for him that you are alluding too? Sounds like more right wing paranoia. It sounds like the usual warmongers here ginning up the masses for more blood.
18. Danish Artist | June 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Cav and the other “hell’s minions” really know how to stick to the topic.
They are doomed to let history repeat itself with their ignorance and look-the-other way mentality, while feigning to protect capitalism, unless of course you are a non-liberal.
19. Danish Artist | June 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 pm
WoW!
The left has gone bonkers in this thread.
CO,
“What should have been a matter for international police action, instead, turned into a complete fiasco due the inept and dangerous decisions made by the Bush Administration.”
Uh, we had 12 years of opportunity for the “international police” to do something about Iraq. What did we get? An “oil for food” bribery scheme where members of the UN got rich off the oil that was sold by Iraq. Other member nations receiving protection money from Hussein to thwart the “great satan”.
Cav, we did have a Hitler in our history, so your “what-if” scenario is pointless like your hell’s kitchen website.
“A real republic would not have to change its laws regarding ITS OWN PEOPLE to catch those that want to do them harm. PUT DOWN THE FLAG AND READ THE ACT.”
Well, I guess they could have just suspended Habeus Corpus rather than doing it correctly.
Pain, Albania? - irrelevant.
The libs can’t seem to stick to the topic and bad-mouth an obvious wannabe dictator. Liberals have never met a dictator they didn’t like - wait except for George Bush, who they have compared endlessly to Nazis. So, they continue with their deflections and dodges.
Lemmings all the way or as some other poster listed here - USEFUL IDIOTS.
20. JPL | June 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I take those comments as a “No,” that neither of you have read the USA PATRIOT Act in its entirety.
Wrong, pompous windbag, I have read the Patriot Act in its entirety. Nowher does it require ordinary people to report suspicious activities of their neighbors.
If you think it does, then cite the section of the statute that requires it.
For everyone else’s benefit, here’s a link to the Patriot Act:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ056.107
Also for everyone else’s benefit, below I reprint the entire Patriot Act table of contents, in which I’ve put every use of the word “report” in bold, so that everyone can see that it contains NO provision requiring ordinary people to report suspicious activities to the government, and that Cavalor is lying to suggest that it does. In fact contrary, the ONLY new reporting obligations in the Act are those applying to banks, financial institutions, securities brokers and dealers, futures commission merchants and commodity pool operators, in that it requires them to report (or gives them immunity for voluntarily reporting) financial transactions with suspicious ties to terroristic activities. Similar reporting obligations have been in effect for DECADES with respect to less serious crimes than terrorism (e.g., drug trade, organized crime, tax evasion). All the Patriot Act did was to extend such obligations to suspicion of terrorist activity, which is potentially far more dangerous to national security.
21. JPL | June 3rd, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Public Law 107-56
107th Congress
An Act
To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the
world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other
purposes. <>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America <> in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short <> Title.–This Act may be cited as
the “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools
Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of
2001”.
(b) Table of Contents.–The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Construction; severability.
TITLE I–ENHANCING DOMESTIC SECURITY AGAINST TERRORISM
Sec. 101. Counterterrorism fund.
Sec. 102. Sense of Congress condemning discrimination against Arab and
Muslim Americans.
Sec. 103. Increased funding for the technical support center at the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sec. 104. Requests for military assistance to enforce prohibition in
certain emergencies.
Sec. 105. Expansion of National Electronic Crime Task Force Initiative.
Sec. 106. Presidential authority.
TITLE II–ENHANCED SURVEILLANCE PROCEDURES
Sec. 201. Authority to intercept wire, oral, and electronic
communications relating to terrorism.
Sec. 202. Authority to intercept wire, oral, and electronic
communications relating to computer fraud and abuse offenses.
Sec. 203. Authority to share criminal investigative information.
Sec. 204. Clarification of intelligence exceptions from limitations on
interception and disclosure of wire, oral, and electronic
communications.
Sec. 205. Employment of translators by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
Sec. 206. Roving surveillance authority under the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act of 1978.
Sec. 207. Duration of FISA surveillance of non-United States persons
who are agents of a foreign power.
Sec. 208. Designation of judges.
Sec. 209. Seizure of voice-mail messages pursuant to warrants.
Sec. 210. Scope of subpoenas for records of electronic communications.
Sec. 211. Clarification of scope.
Sec. 212. Emergency disclosure of electronic communications to protect
life and limb.
Sec. 213. Authority for delaying notice of the execution of a warrant.
Sec. 214. Pen register and trap and trace authority under FISA.
Sec. 215. Access to records and other items under the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Sec. 216. Modification of authorities relating to use of pen registers
and trap and trace devices.
[[Page 115 STAT. 273]]
Sec. 217. Interception of computer trespasser communications.
Sec. 218. Foreign intelligence information.
Sec. 219. Single-jurisdiction search warrants for terrorism.
Sec. 220. Nationwide service of search warrants for electronic evidence.
Sec. 221. Trade sanctions.
Sec. 222. Assistance to law enforcement agencies.
Sec. 223. Civil liability for certain unauthorized disclosures.
Sec. 224. Sunset.
Sec. 225. Immunity for compliance with FISA wiretap.
22. JPL | June 3rd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
TITLE III–INTERNATIONAL MONEY LAUNDERING ABATEMENT AND ANTI-TERRORIST
FINANCING ACT OF 2001
Sec. 301. Short title.
Sec. 302. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 303. 4-year congressional review; expedited consideration.
Subtitle A–International Counter Money Laundering and Related Measures
Sec. 311. Special measures for jurisdictions, financial institutions, or international transactions of primary money laundering concern.
Sec. 312. Special due diligence for correspondent accounts and private
banking accounts.
Sec. 313. Prohibition on United States correspondent accounts with
foreign shell banks.
Sec. 314. Cooperative efforts to deter money laundering.
Sec. 315. Inclusion of foreign corruption offenses as money laundering
crimes.
Sec. 316. Anti-terrorist forfeiture protection.
Sec. 317. Long-arm jurisdiction over foreign money launderers.
Sec. 318. Laundering money through a foreign bank.
Sec. 319. Forfeiture of funds in United States interbank accounts.
Sec. 320. Proceeds of foreign crimes.
Sec. 321. Financial institutions specified in subchapter II of chapter
53 of title 31, United States code.
Sec. 322. Corporation represented by a fugitive.
Sec. 323. Enforcement of foreign judgments.
Sec. 324. report and recommendation.
Sec. 325. Concentration accounts at financial institutions.
Sec. 326. Verification of identification.
Sec. 327. Consideration of anti-money laundering record.
Sec. 328. International cooperation on identification of originators of
wire transfers.
Sec. 329. Criminal penalties.
Sec. 330. International cooperation in investigations of money
laundering, financial crimes, and the finances of terrorist
groups.
Subtitle B–Bank Secrecy Act Amendments and Related Improvements
Sec. 351. Amendments relating to reporting of suspicious activities.
Sec. 352. Anti-money laundering programs.
Sec. 353. Penalties for violations of geographic targeting orders and
certain recordkeeping requirements, and lengthening effective
period of geographic targeting orders.
Sec. 354. Anti-money laundering strategy.
Sec. 355. Authorization to include suspicions of illegal activity in
written employment references.
Sec. 356. reporting of suspicious activities by securities brokers and dealers; investment company study.
Sec. 357. Special report on administration of bank secrecy provisions.
Sec. 358. Bank secrecy provisions and activities of United States
intelligence agencies to fight international terrorism.
Sec. 359. reporting of suspicious activities by underground banking systems.
Sec. 360. Use of authority of United States Executive Directors.
Sec. 361. Financial crimes enforcement network.
Sec. 362. Establishment of highly secure network.
Sec. 363. Increase in civil and criminal penalties for money laundering.
Sec. 364. Uniform protection authority for Federal Reserve facilities.
Sec. 365. reports relating to coins and currency received in
nonfinancial trade or business.
Sec. 366. Efficient use of currency transaction report system.
Subtitle C–Currency Crimes and Protection
Sec. 371. Bulk cash smuggling into or out of the United States.
Sec. 372. Forfeiture in currency reporting cases.
[[Page 115 STAT. 274]]
Sec. 373. Illegal money transmitting businesses.
Sec. 374. Counterfeiting domestic currency and obligations.
Sec. 375. Counterfeiting foreign currency and obligations.
Sec. 376. Laundering the proceeds of terrorism.
Sec. 377. Extraterritorial jurisdiction.
TITLE IV–PROTECTING THE BORDER
Subtitle A–Protecting the Northern Border
Sec. 401. Ensuring adequate personnel on the northern border.
Sec. 402. Northern border personnel.
Sec. 403. Access by the Department of State and the INS to certain
identifying information in the criminal history records of
visa applicants and applicants for admission to the United
States.
Sec. 404. Limited authority to pay overtime.
Sec. 405. report on the integrated automated fingerprint identification system for ports of entry and overseas consular posts.
Subtitle B–Enhanced Immigration Provisions
Sec. 411. Definitions relating to terrorism.
Sec. 412. Mandatory detention of suspected terrorists; habeas corpus;
judicial review.
Sec. 413. Multilateral cooperation against terrorists.
Sec. 414. Visa integrity and security.
Sec. 415. Participation of Office of Homeland Security on Entry-Exit
Task Force.
Sec. 416. Foreign student monitoring program.
Sec. 417. Machine readable passports.
Sec. 418. Prevention of consulate shopping.
Subtitle C–Preservation of Immigration Benefits for Victims of
Terrorism
Sec. 421. Special immigrant status.
Sec. 422. Extension of filing or reentry deadlines.
Sec. 423. Humanitarian relief for certain surviving spouses and
children.
Sec. 424. “Age-out” protection for children.
Sec. 425. Temporary administrative relief.
Sec. 426. Evidence of death, disability, or loss of employment.
Sec. 427. No benefits to terrorists or family members of terrorists.
Sec. 428. Definitions.
23. JPL | June 4th, 2008 at 12:02 am
TITLE V–REMOVING OBSTACLES TO INVESTIGATING TERRORISM
Sec. 501. Attorney General’s authority to pay rewards to combat terrorism.
Sec. 502. Secretary of State’s authority to pay rewards.
Sec. 503. DNA identification of terrorists and other violent offenders.
Sec. 504. Coordination with law enforcement.
Sec. 505. Miscellaneous national security authorities.
Sec. 506. Extension of Secret Service jurisdiction.
Sec. 507. Disclosure of educational records.
Sec. 508. Disclosure of information from NCES surveys.
TITLE VI–PROVIDING FOR VICTIMS OF TERRORISM, PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS,
AND THEIR FAMILIES
Subtitle A–Aid to Families of Public Safety Officers
Sec. 611. Expedited payment for public safety officers involved in the prevention, investigation, rescue, or recovery efforts related to a terrorist attack.
Sec. 612. Technical correction with respect to expedited payments for heroic public safety officers.
Sec. 613. Public safety officers benefit program payment increase.
Sec. 614. Office of Justice programs.
Subtitle B–Amendments to the Victims of Crime Act of 1984
Sec. 621. Crime victims fund.
Sec. 622. Crime victim compensation.
Sec. 623. Crime victim assistance.
Sec. 624. Victims of terrorism.
TITLE VII–INCREASED INFORMATION SHARING FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
PROTECTION
Sec. 701. Expansion of regional information sharing system to facilitate Federal-State-local law enforcement response related to terrorist attacks.
[[Page 115 STAT. 275]]
TITLE VIII–STRENGTHENING THE CRIMINAL LAWS AGAINST TERRORISM
Sec. 801. Terrorist attacks and other acts of violence against mass transportation systems.
Sec. 802. Definition of domestic terrorism.
Sec. 803. Prohibition against harboring terrorists.
Sec. 804. Jurisdiction over crimes committed at U.S. facilities abroad.
Sec. 805. Material support for terrorism.
Sec. 806. Assets of terrorist organizations.
Sec. 807. Technical clarification relating to provision of material support to terrorism.
Sec. 808. Definition of Federal crime of terrorism.
Sec. 809. No statute of limitation for certain terrorism offenses.
Sec. 810. Alternate maximum penalties for terrorism offenses.
Sec. 811. Penalties for terrorist conspiracies.
Sec. 812. Post-release supervision of terrorists.
Sec. 813. Inclusion of acts of terrorism as racketeering activity.
Sec. 814. Deterrence and prevention of cyberterrorism.
Sec. 815. Additional defense to civil actions relating to preserving records in response to Government requests.
Sec. 816. Development and support of cybersecurity forensic capabilities.
Sec. 817. Expansion of the biological weapons statute.
TITLE IX–IMPROVED INTELLIGENCE
Sec. 901. Responsibilities of Director of Central Intelligence regarding foreign intelligence collected under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
Sec. 902. Inclusion of international terrorist activities within scope of foreign intelligence under National Security Act of 1947.
Sec. 903. Sense of Congress on the establishment and maintenance of intelligence relationships to acquire information on terrorists and terrorist organizations.
Sec. 904. Temporary authority to defer submittal to Congress of reports on intelligence and intelligence-related matters.
Sec. 905. Disclosure to Director of Central Intelligence of foreign intelligence-related information with respect to criminal investigations.
Sec. 906. Foreign terrorist asset tracking center.
Sec. 907. National Virtual Translation Center.
Sec. 908. Training of government officials regarding identification and use of foreign intelligence.
24. JPL | June 4th, 2008 at 12:05 am
TITLE X–MISCELLANEOUS
Sec. 1001. Review of the department of justice.
Sec. 1002. Sense of congress.
Sec. 1003. Definition of “electronic surveillance”.
Sec. 1004. Venue in money laundering cases.
Sec. 1005. First responders assistance act.
Sec. 1006. Inadmissibility of aliens engaged in money laundering.
Sec. 1007. Authorization of funds for dea police training in south and central asia.
Sec. 1008. Feasibility study on use of biometric identifier scanning system with access to the fbi integrated automated fingerprint identification system at overseas consular posts and points of entry to the United States.
Sec. 1009. Study of access.
Sec. 1010. Temporary authority to contract with local and State governments for performance of security functions at United States military installations.
Sec. 1011. Crimes against charitable americans.
Sec. 1012. Limitation on issuance of hazmat licenses.
Sec. 1013. Expressing the sense of the senate concerning the provision of funding for bioterrorism preparedness and response.
Sec. 1014. Grant program for State and local domestic preparedness support.
Sec. 1015. Expansion and reauthorization of the crime identification technology act for antiterrorism grants to States and localities.
Sec. 1016. Critical infrastructures protection.
25. Cavalor Epthith, Esquire, D.S.V.J. | June 4th, 2008 at 4:22 am
20. JPL | June 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
For a basic example I would have you go back and look at Title III of the USA PATRIOT as it relates to employees pf banks and how they must report and must assist FinCen in their efforts to detail every cash deposit of over $ 10 000 during a 24 hour banking period. WHile this is not new the scope of the institutions that must report detailed information to the Treasury has markedly been broadened and the cooperation of every individual in a bank, check cashing center or customer service center in a grocers that provides Western Union is now bound by federal law to comply by filling out a Suspicious Activity Report. Now even spikes in church donations trigger the mandatory filing of such a report. At the heart of this is supposed to be limiting the ability of persons who would do harm to the United States to launder money. But even at the height of the cocaine fueled drug craze of the 1980s and 1990s no such anti-laundering measuresd were even considered by Reagan or GHW Bush or Bill Clinton and the amounts of money being laundered via US banks totaled nearly 2 trillion dollars per year at the height of such activity in 1991. Sources we have tell us that the plot to hijack the planes on 9/11 cost al Qaeda a total of just under $ 17 million over a period of seven years or just under $ 2,5 million per year a factor of 10 000 smaller than the laundering of the drug lords and their associates. This to me as a journalist the need to have the deepest possible access to accounts and use the suspiciousness of bak tellers to “sneak and peep” causes deep concern as it shoukld in you as an affected citizen.
This is just one example of the myriad in this act which is an axe in the heart of civil liberties.
26. Danish Artist | June 4th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Cav,
Those banking reporting regulations have been in effect since the early 80s. They have just been expanded to include investigations into terrorist activities. These are CASH activities, not checks, money orders or some other TRACEABLE instrument. CASH ONLY!!!
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORT? Hardly. Large Cash Transaction Report. Now no investigations are started at the onset of a single report. What is gathered is information into possible patterns if several reports are filed in a short period of time, especially if the individual causing the report is not a business ie, grocer, non-profit org, charity etc.
Nothing new here.
Move along.
27. Robin Naismith Green | June 4th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
26. Danish Artist | June 4th, 2008 at 6:13 am
You may disagree DA but the documents are actually called “Suspicious Activity Reports” and they do cover all manner of utterable documents including cashiers checks money order and bank drafts in places to include check cashing centers credit unions as well as banks. Broad and sweeping and the tellers are required to file these forms for all transactions totalling ten thousand dollars in a day.
That constitutes citizens reporting citizen actions innocent or otherwise.
28. Danish Artist | June 4th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
RNG,
Don’t hurt yourself reaching and stretching that logic.
Citizen reporting citizen……..
tellers reporting customers
deputies reporting criminals
mom/dad/child reporting burglars
interns reporting presidents
blacks reporting whites
homos reporting heteros
teachers reporting students
women reporting men
children reporting children
WHEN WILL IT END????????????
You cannot compare tellers reporting large transactions to HUGO CHAVEZ’s proposals and actions!!!
Sheesh, go back to hell’s kitchen or whatever, after you had sufficient education.
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