Actually, in this context ’same as the old boss’ would be a comfort. To me, at least, if not the folks who made such a hullabaloo over the PATRIOT Act; I’m not worried about the government abusing its authority so much as I worry about it making an utter hash of its attempt to try to use it. But of course said ‘abuse’ was not the least common election-year theme - usually in the context of how things would change, once the Republicans weren’t running things.  And usually argued by people who really should have known better.

Which is why I’m more amused than anything else about this:

Attorney General Eric Holder endorsed the Senate’s version of legislation that would extend three provisions of the Patriot Act that are slated to expire at the end of the year.

Holder wrote in a letter today to Senate Judiciary Committee members that he offers “strong support” for the USA Patriot Act Sunset Extension Act, which would reauthorize the “lone wolf,” records and “roving wiretap” powers. By contrast, a House version of the bill would not continue the “lone wolf” provision, which lets the government track targets who don’t have any discernible affiliation with terrorist or other foreign groups.

…although I admit that I’m kind of curious of which member of the current ruling party thought that it was a good idea to hamper lone wolf surveillance.  The timing for that seems… suboptimal.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Turns out the decision to drop the case went all the way up to the number 3 man at the Justice Department — Thomas J. Perrelli.

Mr. Perrelli was a Janet Reno flunky when Clinton was in the White House and, naturally, a Barack Obama donor.

In this particular case, the career lawyers at the Department of Justice pursued the matter, made all the calls, got a court judgment when the Black Panthers refused to show up, then the Department of Justice’s political appointees told the career guys to drop the whole case.

…and no arrests; no updates; and no real indication that the federal government is taking seriously an organized attempt to murder mothers and children by setting their church on fire. Remember: they used accelerant on the doors. There’s no chance at all this was meant to be a ‘prank.’

Eric Holder recently went before Congress to call for a strengthened hate crimes bill. It occurs to me that calling his office at 202-353-1555 and politely inquiring how the Department of Justice is doing in its investigation of this existing one would be an excellent way to start your work week.

Moe Lane

PS: The response to this should not break down along partisan political lines; I will be pleasantly surprised if this turns out to be the case.

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

You will probably recall that the Obama Department of Justice has decided not to pre-clear Georgia’s verification process for voting. Under the process, Georgia’s Secretary of State cross referenced voter registration information to drivers license and social security data to make sure what a person claimed was verifiable to ensure only citizens voted in Georgia.

When Georgia ran the test, which the Department of Justice helped design, 2,100 people were called into question for legitimate reason. Undeterred, the DOJ is now saying the verification discriminates against minorities — even though there was no way to tell from the process or reports it generate what the race of any person is.

Georgia’s Secretary of State is asking people to lend their voice via petition to let the DOJ know we should be allowed to stop non-citizens from voting.

Go here and sign the petition. Let your voice be heard.

Yesterday, the Washington Times wrote about Departmnet of Justice dropping charges against Black Panthers and Democratic operatives for voter intimidation. Michelle Malkin tracked down the complaint filed by Bartle Bull. Bull — and Malkin flagged — that one of the Black Panthers told him “you are about to be ruled by the black man, cracker”.

Well, it turns out that there is video of it:

H/T Election Journal.

Dear hardcore antiwar movement:

Please take this opportunity to writhe in impotent agony as your man-god twists the knife in your entrails.

Love,

The neoconservative movement.

PS: We won. You lost. Again.
PPS: We’ll be sleeping like babies tonight, by the way. It’s one of the perks of being the good guys.
PPPS: Now go back to work! President Obama requires your labor and money on his behalf.
(H/T Hot Air)

Crossposted at Moe Lane.