|
|
|
May 06, 2009
"I feel like I live in a third world country now."
In what appears to be another Patriot Act horror story, a 16 year old North Carolina boy was arrested by a team of agents, dragged from his home, and is being held incommicado for two months now: WRAL television reported yesterday that Ashton Lundeby, an Oxford, North Carolina teenager, was removed from his home by a dozen Federal agents and hauled to a detention facility in Indiana two months ago. He has been held without being afforded a trial or regular access to his family under the authority of the Patriot Act, a law enacted under the George W. Bush administration in the wake of 9/11 that has been widely criticized for denying due process to anyone deemed an enemy combatant by Federal authorities.Whether the 16 year old had his identity hacked or whether he himself was the culprit, he should have had an arraignment/bail hearing long ago, and in the normal course of things (before the Patriot Act), he'd have been released to parental custody pending his trial. Instead, he's been languishing for two months. Understandably, his mom feels like she's living in a Third World country: Annette Lundeby told the television station that she feels like she is living in a third world country, having to protect her son from the government. A scheduled court hearing for Lundeby has been repeatedly pushed back, according to his mother.As to why there's a gag order, who knows? It certainly would be a good way for overzealous prosecutors to avoid having to admit a mistake. This is the first time I've heard about this case, and I don't know all the details, but I don't like the looks of what I've seen so far. Drudge reported the story, and the case has been attracting more and more attention. I found a YouTube video here: Thank God for the Internet. It makes it hard for the government to cover things like this up. Once again, I think it's time to reexamine or repeal the Patriot Act. Otherwise, because it is in the nature of power that those who have power will abuse it, we will only see more stories like this. posted by Eric on 05.06.09 at 11:59 AM
Comments
"Thank God for the Internet. It makes it hard for the government to cover things like this up." Beth · May 6, 2009 09:56 PM Hi, interesting post. I have been pondering this topic,so thanks for writing. I'll probably be coming back to your blog. ... runescape gold · May 7, 2009 10:52 PM |
|
June 2009
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
June 2009
May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 May 2002 AB 1634 MBAPBSAAGOP Skepticism See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
• It's An Absolute Disgrace
• The Seeds Of Stupidity • Remember D-Day • Newton's Cradle • Taxes Send Jobs Offshore • The law is the law! • A teaching moment? • You Can't Do It At Random • In debt to Islam? For Western thought? • David Carradine Is Dead
Links
Site Credits
|
|
I'm dubious that PATRIOT has any particular relation to this.
That the (understandably upset, and not a lawyer) mother of the kid blames it on PATRIOT doesn't make that accurate.
(The writeup's mention of NSLs makes me imagine that the writer didn't do his research - an NSL is just an easier subpoena. It doesn't let the FBI arrest you and keep you incommunicado for months.)
I've watched the issue on and off since PATRIOT was passed, and I've (partially, since it's long and mostly boring) read the Act... and I don't believe that any part of it authorizes detention (especially of an American citizen) without counsel for two months.
Now, there have been claims of executive power that have been used to suggest that such a thing could be done... but they're not PATRIOT.
Perhaps the FBI abused their power and blamed PATRIOT as a CYA measure, but I don't see a good reason to blame the Act for what's actually happened here.