We’re Only Beginning to See the Consequences of the Bush-Era Assault on Civil Liberties

Like a number of “War on Terror” measures, the Terrorist Screening Database’s unconstitutionality was obvious from the jump

By MATT TAIBBI

September 9, 2019 10:18AM ET

".A judge last week ruled the federal government’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), which secretly categorized more than 1 million people as “known or suspected terrorists,” is unconstitutional.

Like a number of “War on Terror” reforms instituted in the Bush years, the TSDB’s unconstitutionality was obvious from its inception. Indeed, the very idea that we needed to “take the gloves off” in our post-9/11 “State of Exception” was an original selling point of some of these programs.

The TSDB is cousin to the No-Fly List (a different and more restrictive list ruled unconstitutional in 2014), the Distribution Matrix (the drone assassination program also known as the “Kill List”), the STELLAR WIND warrantless surveillance program, multiple expansions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the broadened use of National Security Letters to obtain private data without warrant, the “Enhanced Interrogation” program the rest of the world calls torture, and countless other War on Terror initiatives that were and are clear violations of the spirit of the constitution..."

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/were-only-beginning-to-see-the-consequences-of-the-bush-era-assault-on-civil-liberties-881179/

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My brother managed to land on the No-Fly List when a can of spray starch was found in his luggage. He was a trainer for Whataburger, which meant, of course, that he traveled to various locations throughout Texas and beyond.


STILL A WAR CRIMINAL

Yeah, I heard the Trumpkins were floating an idea of listening in on people's phone calls and smartwatches to determine if they might enact a shooting. And I'm certain a lot of fake-ass "libertarians" will decide that that's better than reasonable gun-control and will be all for it, they same as they always are on any totalitarian measures as long as it "pisses off the libs."

Trump wants to be a dictator, and his cultish base are proving that they're all up for it. All their "tea party" faux-patriotism was actually just team-sports hatred because a Democrat is in office. Once they're faced with actual curtailment of civil liberties, by one of their own, they can't flail their goddamned pom-poms around hard enough.