March 2003 changes to the "Patriot Act"- i missed this-

but it's a GREAT article documenting how our democracy, AND our civil rights (specificly rights to privacy- Article 4 that bush mistakenly quoted as 'permission' for him to break the law)-


>>>snip<<<<<Under the Patriot Act, the FBI can acquire bank records and Internet or phone logs simply by issuing itself a so-called national security letter saying the records are relevant to an investigation into terrorism. The FBI doesn't need to show probable cause or consult a judge. What's more, the target institution is issued a gag order and kept from revealing the subpoena's existence to anyone, including the subject of the investigation.

The new provision in the spending bill redefines the meaning of "financial institution." The wider definition explicitly includes insurance companies, real estate agents, the U.S. Postal Service, travel agencies, casinos, pawn shops, car dealers and any other business whose "cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax or regulatory matters."

Justice Department officials tried earlier this year to write a bill to expand the Patriot Act. A draft -- dubbed Patriot II -- was leaked and caused such an uproar that Justice officials backed down. The new provision inserts one of the most controversial aspects of Patriot II into the spending bill.

Intelligence spending bills are considered sensitive, so they are usually drafted in secret and approved without debate or public comment. ...>>>>>end snip....<<<<<<

more at-



http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,61341,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1