The Political Chase

The Patriot Act - You’ve Come A Long Way Baby

The Patriot Act - how did we ever do without it? It’s like the wheel, fire, the printing press, computers, ATM’s and mobile phones. It appears society can no longer persevere without it, hence it’s not just for terrorists anymore.

Just after midnight on May 13, 2004, a small team of FBI agents crept into the legendary Del Rio Cockfighting Pit in Cocke County.

The illegal gambling arena was closed, and agents were able to copy a computer hard drive before slipping away. They didn’t notify the property’s then-owner, Michael Maynard of Hot Springs, N.C., of the search for another three months.

Acting under the authority of the Patriot Act, the agents had obtained a search warrant that allowed them to clandestinely enter the property, search for evidence and not tell anyone about it until the government or a judge was ready to let the owners know they’d been there.

Originally touted as a tool in the struggle against terrorism, the Patriot Act now was being used in the hills of East Tennessee as part of a shadowy war that had been going on for decades, a struggle that pitted the federal government against a homespun Appalachian culture that had churned out generation after generation of proud outlaws.

So, five-card draw is now on par with terrorism and deemed a clear and present danger to our national security?

Few, if any, will dispute the fact that viscous and cruel exploitation of animals in acts such as cockfighting and dog fights (e.g., Michael Vick) are at best despicable. But is it not a heinous violation of civil liberties to use the Patriot Act to arrest gamblers and organizers of cockfighting? 

H/T to Nick.