cannabisnews.com: Fines, Jail Possible for Police 





Fines, Jail Possible for Police 
Posted by CN Staff on January 10, 2004 at 07:41:33 PT
By Jeremy Browning 
Source: Craig Daily Press
Attorney Kristopher Hammond has found himself in the middle of what he calls an "interesting irony."On Feb. 2, he'll be sitting in a Routt County courtroom, in front of a Routt County judge, listening to a Routt County Sheriff's deputy and other law enforcement officers explain why they shouldn't be punished for disobeying the judge's order.
And taxpayers will be footing the bill "for them all to fight about it," Hammond said.A Craig Police officer and a Moffat County Sheriff's deputy will also be present. They're among nine officers cited for contempt of court Wednesday by Routt County Judge James Garrecht.The citation commands the officers to appear in court Feb. 2 "to show cause, if any they have, why they should not be punished for contempt, for neglect and refusal to comply with the Order of the Court ..."The officers face possible fines or imprisonment or both.The Craig Police officer and the Moffat County Sheriff's deputy are assigned to the Grand Routt and Moffat Narcotics Enforcement Team. GRAMNET organized an October raid of the home of Hayden resident Don Nord. The officers confiscated marijuana, smoking pipes, indoor horticulture equipment and other items from Nord's home.Nord, however, is legally registered as a medicinal marijuana user. According to state law, he's done nothing wrong.The Colorado Constitution allows individuals suffering from certain debilitating conditions to grow and use marijuana if the drug is recommended by a physician.On Dec. 8, Garrecht ordered the officers to return Nord's property. He gave them 21 days to comply.GRAMNET returned some of the items they took from Nord's home, but two ounces of marijuana and the smoking pipes were not returned.Hammond, who is Nord's attorney, filed a motion asking Garrecht to issue the contempt citations.The court's authority, and public respect for it, constitute what Hammond calls a cornerstone of the "rule of law" in our society."If people needed to be forced by contempt of court to obey court orders, that's all the courts would do," Hammond said. "Who are you going to call when the police don't obey court orders?"Federal law makes no concession for state laws that legalize marijuana. Technically, GRAMNET is a federal task force, although it is staffed with officers from police departments and sheriff's offices in Grand, Routt and Moffat counties. Only two members of GRAMNET's staff are federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration.Craig Police Chief Walt Vanatta said he wishes District Attorney Bonnie Roesink would have stepped in."Frankly, I was really hoping the District Attorney's office would have appealed the county court decision so it could be taken to a higher court to provide guidance on a statewide level," Vanatta said.Roesink could not be reached for comment.Vanatta asked that the officers not be named because it might compromise their safety and their investigations, which they often conduct in an undercover capacity.Vanatta said he spoke with a DEA official Wednesday who indicated that the officers will be represented by the U.S. Attorney's Office.Note: Refusal to return pot could be costly.Newshawk: The GCWSource: Craig Daily Press, The (CO)Author: Jeremy Browning Published: Friday, January 9, 2004 Copyright: 2004 The Craig Daily PressWebsite: http://www.craigdailypress.com/Contact: http://www.craigdailypress.com/site/feedbackRelated Articles:9 Officers Cited for Contempt in Pot Case http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18109.shtmlDEA Should Give Back Patient's Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18085.shtmlMarijuana Fight Continues http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18070.shtmlFederal Authorities Refuse To Return Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18061.shtml 
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Comment #26 posted by yippierevolutionary on January 11, 2004 at 10:17:42 PT
Hunter Thompson
He is a rabid football addict, but has done more than fulfill his civic duty. For example his Hey Rube! Column at www.espn.com is supposed to be about Sports gambling, and he does talk about that but he gives equal time to the Bush Crime Family.  I would recomend going to his archives and reading his column from September 13th 2001, he knew on that day the exact course American History would take over the next 3 years. He refers to my generation as the first generation in American History that will have a lower standard of living than their parents had. It is a terrible time to be young in America.
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Comment #25 posted by kaptinemo on January 11, 2004 at 04:12:26 PT:
"WWW People"
That comment has been sticking in my mind since I read it last night.What are "WWW People"?I'll answer my own question. First and foremost, they're seekers of knowledge. People driven to know. To understand.Although the 'Net was originally meant as a backup command, communication and control system for the military, it has evolved into a fantastically varied universe of thought and ideas, where you 'meet' people from all walks of life.But one thing immediately becomes clear: those who have embraced the spirit behind what the 'Net represents today are for the most part very unconventional in their thinking. Sure, some get online and do nothing but unthinkingly spew their prejudices electronically, no different than shouting slurs and epithets through a bullhorn on a street corner. They aren't what I am talking about. They didn't make the 'Net, but have ridden on it's coat-tails. Were they capable of creating it, they would have kept it to themselves. And some are trying to do that, to this day.No, I'm talking about those whom I've 'met', 'here' and 'elsewhere', literally from around the planet. Language doesn't matter; a means is usually found to communicate...and that means is also found on the 'Net, devised by other Netizens, for precisely that reason. 
Because of that drive to know and understand, to learn and to grow. It's one Hell of a 'jones' that drives so many of us, worse than any hunger pangs you've ever felt, but oddly painless in it's execution. Yet it governs so much of what we do. And it is a sure means of receiving information that many people of the earlier mentioned persuasion, the Neanderthals-with-keyboards, would like you to never see or read or hear. (Sadly, many governments, including the US's, falls into that category; recall the attempts to prevent information about illicit drugs from being published on the Web.) As one founder of the 'Net put it, The 'Net treats censorship as node damage and routes around it. Unless the hardlines are severed, it can't be stopped.And, neither, my friends, can we. The hunger to know will NOT be denied.I guess that is part of why we are "WWW People".
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Comment #24 posted by DeVoHawk on January 10, 2004 at 15:32:38 PT
Virgil - Trivia becomes King
I agree that "People are being entertained into dumbness". I love sports but my participation is more important than watching. I can name the entire 1975 Cincy Reds team because I went to the playoffs against the Mets when I lived in NYC. But I learned it was a waste of brain space to store info about these players year end and year out. I quit watching baseball after some strike so long ago I can't remeber. I still take my neices and nephews or with friends and kids because they love it but I do not go for myself. That's why CN has been blessing along with many other internet sites. I am no longer stuck with what Mass-Money-Media wants me to watch and read.At least with the www people now have a chance to get smarter while they stare at the flickering screen of entertainment. Maybe a few will wake up!
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Comment #23 posted by kaptinemo on January 10, 2004 at 13:33:46 PT:
Nope, sorry to disappoint
But had I a Nautilus, I'd have sent slavers and their support ships to the bottom like my fictional namesake would. He and all his crewmen had been slaves of one government or another; all of which, of course, justified that slavery one way or another. That's why he and his silent crew were so implacably driven. They'd 'been there, done that' and had the scars to prove it. A viewpoint I can certainly understand.We are all fighting a similar tyranny, one that says with a sweet smile as it destroys you that it is doing it 'for your own good.'Some 'good' when all it results in is more suffering. And like Nemo's tormentors, they say they are right in doing so. 
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Comment #22 posted by E_Johnson on January 10, 2004 at 13:05:36 PT
kaptinemo
You aren't the REAL Captain Nemo, by any chance?;-)
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Comment #21 posted by kaptinemo on January 10, 2004 at 11:20:52 PT:
E_J, I mentioned nothing about those crimes
for a good reason. Which you've already elucidated.Some crimes require incarceration. No doubt of it. Some are so heinous, were I not concerned about the possibility of the innocent being accidentally executed, I'd grimly join the firing squad. After all, it's what I as a soldier was trained to do to enemies of the US. And I'm not squeamish at all. Blood doesn't spook me. A *proven* murderer, rapist or child molestor wouldn't last two seconds in my gunsights.But the severity of lesser crime is often as much a matter of political *fadishness* as it is of ancient precepts of human rights being violated. Or, in some cases, a matter of how important in the social hierarchy the victim - or the perp! - of that crime was. And who his/her friends might be. An ugly fact of human history. The law in nearly all societies has behaved, at one point or another, precisely the way Cicero said it did in his day: a whore that smiles at the man with the biggest purse. We see such favoritism being displayed now with the Korporate Krooks like Ken Lay and his ilk. They've hurt tens of millions of people. Yet, they are walking and breathing the free air. In my estimation, they don't deserve a bullet. Take the money out of the Caymans that they stole, give it back to the investors directly, and put them in a UNICOR prison and make them eat gruel and work 20 years for a pittance would be just fine for me. Or perhaps the revival of an old custom - the public stocks, where passersby could taunt and hurl rotten produce at miscreants. I agree with you: Some sort of punishment fit for the crime must be devised. It's either that, or take the old medieval Japanese method of population control. Namely, beheading for the slightest infraction of the social code. Like failure to bow to the local warlord.Balance. It always devolves to balance.
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Comment #20 posted by Max Flowers on January 10, 2004 at 11:05:20 PT
Obsessive-Compulsive Sports Dysfunction
I agree with you Virgil 100% on the sports thing. Sports in and of themselves aren't the problem, but what *is* the problem is that in this country, so many (seems like 80% to me) people devote so much fanatical attention to sports---which are nothing more than a "faux battle" between teams, barely a notch above wrestling of the fixed variety---and yet ignore and remain blissfully neutral to the very real political and societal battles going on all around them. To me it is the height of irony and irresponsibility to be like that. They care SO deeply and passionately about how well the 49ers or the Lakers are going to do this year, but don't know/care about extremely important social issues roiling all around them?! They can tell you all about some baseball pitcher's record, but don't know a Constitutional Amendment from a city ordinance. I'm sorry but that's just stupid. And worse still, it plays directly into the hands of the government... they of course want as many people as possible to be like that.Sports and entertainment are a fantasy world that should be indulged in only after one's civic duties are done and taken care of. While eveyone is all engrossed in the Super Bowl or the NFL playoffs, not looking at reality, civil rights degrade, corporations plunder, Rome burns.
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Comment #19 posted by westnyc on January 10, 2004 at 11:00:50 PT
Virgil
It's true. We are a society completely obsessed by entertainment. For example, our "real news" sources focus more stories about the exploits of the Hollywood Elite.....and their problems, and their specialness, and their riches, etc., than the events that truly have repercussions on our present and future lives. It is an intentional, subversive, and successful manner of distracting American's from the most crucial issues facing our world. Best of all, celebrities and fear mongering continue to make people "CONSUME" rather than analyze what is happening around us.Personally, I think everyone here knows what will happen with the Reform Movement if Dean becomes the President. I also believe that he was chosen by the media from the beginning, in spite of all other candidates, to be portrayed as the winner, the one! Basically, half of our democratic candidates were "blacklisted" from the very beginning and only the grassroots movements offer any chance at all for Sharpton, Kucinich, and Braun. It doesn't matter what the underdog candidates have to say because we are never really going to hear their ideals. The Bush Administration have used their ability to regulate and consolidate the media and have decided that Dean would be the candidate least likely to embarass the current administration, or defeat Bush in 2004. My opinion! Dean is better than Bush; but, he's just another "Republican Lite." The media! Thank God we still have "BENNIFER" to take our minds away from noticing and questioning the consequences surrounding the issues that really matter.
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Comment #18 posted by ekim on January 10, 2004 at 10:31:52 PT
ck out this Sheriff from CO
http://www.libertybill.net/Another Leap speaker against prohibition.
http://www.leap.cc
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Comment #17 posted by The GCW on January 10, 2004 at 10:23:42 PT
County judge in action.
This is not going away."Vanatta said he spoke with a DEA official Wednesday who indicated that the officers will be represented by the U.S. Attorney's Office."420Should Don Nord be represented by the Colorado Attorney General, Ken Salazar's office?I spoke to Colorado Attorney General, Ken Salazar personally and openly at a meeting about this issue coming up (before Don Nords arrest) and never got an answer. The question was also presented in 2 news papers. Salazars election is also coming up.  4?2?0"As the current, overzealous federal government attacks citizens using cannabis for medicinal use in California, it may become increasingly important for Colorado's attorney general to protect Colorado citizens regarding this issue. Will you work hard to do that?"US CO: PUB LTE: Salazar Took Wrong Side On Medicinal Marijuana Issue
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1412/a09.html?1303 Pubdate: Mon, 15 Sep 2003US CO: PUB LTE: Burning Issue 
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1385/a06.html?1303 Pubdate: Sun, 14 Sep 2003420 alsoIn case You haven't heard: Democratic Presidential nominee, Dennis Kucinich, put in writing that as PRESIDENT He WILL: 
"DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA" -"in favor of a drug policy that sets reasonable boundaries for marijuana use by establishing guidelines similar to those already in place for alcohol." (POSTED ON His website!) 
 
http://www.kucinich.us/issues/marijuana_decrim.php http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17917.shtml http://www.coloradoforkucinich.net/ 
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Comment #16 posted by Virgil on January 10, 2004 at 10:18:06 PT
People are being entertained into dumbness
People become obsessed with all the details of an entertainment. Some people are absorbed by soap operas. I am not talking about commercials, I am talking about being absorbed by entertainment while the grass needs mowing before the weeds seed. I hate it when people say "I love sports" when there biggest physical achievement of the day is getting off the couch to get a variety of corn or potato. People do not even acknowledge that it is sports entertainment that absorbs them.It all gets reinforced on game shows where entertainment and entertainers are the bulk of the questions. We are being entertained into mind-numbing senslessness. The country needs serviced as it broken and if people spent one-tenth the energy on the subject of federal power as they do on the entertainment they get from baseball, basketball, football, and racing, there would not be CP.
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Comment #15 posted by E_Johnson on January 10, 2004 at 10:14:25 PT
kaptinemo harm isn't always from violence
"(and I repeat an earlier question: if they were so relatively harmless that they can be let out, what were they doing there to begin with?)"There are people who have harmed others but without direct physical violence.Like someone who writes bad checks and knowingly defrauds a merchant. Shoplifters, people who park wherever they feel like and refuse to pay the tickets. People who commit insurance fraud. People who refuse to pay for the support of their own children.There are a lot of ways to be harmful to others and present a threat to society behavior without involving physical violence.They probably shouldn't use jail for these people. But they need to do something. Just because it's nonviolent crime doesn't mean it should be ignored or encouraged.
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Comment #14 posted by SoberStoner on January 10, 2004 at 10:05:23 PT
Sorry virgil, I must partially disagree
Including sports in that list seems rather odd to me. Those sports provide entertainment for those that watch and a sense of accomplishment for those that play them. While I am disturbed by the amount of alcohol and CP ads during those events, I cannot believe that the sports are causing the ads. Sports events are popular and have been since the dawn of time. While those broadcasted events can become corrupted, the essence of the sport is the competition itself. I can guarantee when CP ends you will see ads for cannabis products as well.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on January 10, 2004 at 10:04:23 PT
Limited Knowledge
Thanks kapt! We all have limited knowledge. That's why I like learning here. I'm sitting here with a cup of hot chocolate and cinammon toast on this cold day and expanding my knowledge base thanks to all of you!
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Comment #12 posted by kaptinemo on January 10, 2004 at 09:56:48 PT:
Of course, I agree, FoM
Contrary to what many of you might mistakenly think, I am NOT a professional writer; I make lots of mistakes. I can only, as we all do, bring to the table my (limited) knowledge, experiences, and yes, opinions.But there are 'cardinal rules' for all kinds of public discourse, and the one I adhere to the most is: try to avoid at all costs boring the readers and sounding like the proverbial broken record...or a rampant egoist. I never liked it when I saw or heard that, and I am sure many here feel the same.That's why I said I was reluctant to re-post my comment.But the thing here is, not even the author of the article seems to be aware of the massive coming confrontation that I mentioned, or its' ramifications for government in the future. Granted, that's largely a function of editorializing, but it seems (to me, anyway) so obvious that mention of some sort should have been made.So I took the initiative in doing so. We'll see how correct my assumptions are soon enough...
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Comment #11 posted by Virgil on January 10, 2004 at 09:50:15 PT
It is defense of the power quo
The federal attorney's get paid to do as they are told. The federal power is an interwoven advance of power. They have laws to steal people's property without even a trial. The trial is to see if you can get it back. They have laws that silence people which really hurts Bumper Sticker sales. They have the purse to reward people. They have laws so terrible that people will agree to what is cruel and unusual punishment without even a trial. It is Hitler's big lie with nuclear power- Marijuana is a dangerous drug.They are out there defending the big lie and people are so comforted by their televisions and electronics and their cars while they take to fattening themselves into personal sickness and extinction that it just does not bother them. I will say this now that I developed a reason with five words as to why we have CP.The reason we have Cannabis Prohibition in one word- corruptiontwo words- controlled mediathree words- It's the moneyfour words- Lies, bullshit, and obfuscation'five words- baseball, basketball, football, and racing
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on January 10, 2004 at 09:42:11 PT
kapt
I know how valuable everyones time is. I know that we often don't spend a lot of time reading different boards because we have work to do. Some message boards totally confuse me and I don't even try to figure out where they are going. I think of Cannabis News as a big learning center with intelligent commenters. I think we should use how we feel from a former comment to help new people know where we are coming from. I believe that makes for quality reading and learning. Do you agree?
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Comment #9 posted by SoberStoner on January 10, 2004 at 09:41:32 PT
Thank you aolbtes
I had not seen details like this before. Amazing how in retrospect the hoopla was just another power grab. I wonder if they'll find Osama the day they completely remove all constitutional protections (not that there are many left now anyway)And you're right kapt, we do have to be constantly aware of things. 70 years of forced paranoia will do that to ya. At least the judges look like they've finally had enough of the INJustice department stepping where they shouldnt be. If the total blackout about this signing and the continued silencing of Dennis Kucinich hasnt completely demolished the myth about the 'liberal' media, I dont know what will.America needs leaders not politicians and corporate stooges. This election year could swing very close again..I hope to see numerous stories here about more candidates running with cannabis freedom as a goal. The only chance of getting our simple logical solutions heard is going to be the net or in poltical advertisements. Keep fighting everyone. We're closer than ever, they can only fight the truth for so long.SS
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Comment #8 posted by kaptinemo on January 10, 2004 at 09:30:09 PT:
I try to avoid doing this
But since the article is now up here, I figured I do as FoM suggested and repost a relevent link:http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18117.shtml#35 For the longest time, the Feds have been subborning that local control of police by their communities around the country. They did it with full knowledge of what the end results would be. They weren't blind or ignorant. They knew it would lead to this latest conflict between the (sovereign!) States and the Feds. As I said, this has happened before, and the offending agency (the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, or LEAA) was slapped with multiple lawsuits for Constitutional rights violations and eventually disbanded as an embarrassing hold over from Tricky Dick's and Hoover's COINTELPRO days. It has since been (shhhhh!) very quietly revived and is back to it's old tricks. This case will have far reaching implications for years, maybe decades, to come. With States so strapped for cash that many are contemplating letting low-level offenders out of prison (and I repeat an earlier question: if they were so relatively harmless that they can be let out, what were they doing there to begin with?), only one organization would have the monetary resources to continue the present War on (Some) Drugs. That's the Feds. (And only because they control the money presses in the Mint. That's all. It's a Potemkin Village, as the 'money' isn't really there at all, and to print more to 'pay' for this continued madness will cause massive inflation. The top leadership of the Feds know this.)This case will mark a turning point in the 'Federalist Debate', namely, how much power should be returned to the States after having been taken by the Feds for so long? That the local cops are being defended by the US Attorney's office means that EVERY us TAXPAYER is paying for the defense of what should be the States' responsibility...if the cops *weren't already in contempt of the State.* This is explosive stuff, to be handled like nitro. It's the kind of case only the bravest of judges can handle. Other States are going to be watching this VERY closely. And you can guess what pressures the Feds will try to bring against the judge.A large part of the future of the DrugWar may be decided in that courtroom. It's now gone way beyond one poor, sick guy trying to grow his own medicine. Keep your fingers crossed.
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Comment #7 posted by SystemGoneDown on January 10, 2004 at 09:27:47 PT
Virgil.....Amen brotha....
Exactly man. The constitution is a systematic response when the government's power is pushing it's limits...
Can I ask you all, what the hell does the feds think their getting out of this other than bad press?(Internet press, obviously not shown on TV).
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Comment #6 posted by Virgil on January 10, 2004 at 09:10:04 PT
No, but the Constitution does
Federal law makes no concession for state laws that legalize marijuana.The states are within their rights. The federal government makes laws that exceed the power granted them by the Constitution.
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Comment #5 posted by goneposthole on January 10, 2004 at 09:02:46 PT
gar recht
loosely translated from German to English: done right.The Federal guard dog may have bitten off more than it can chew.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 10, 2004 at 08:59:19 PT
kapt
This is for you and anyone that might be interested. If you put this # and the number of the comment it should bring it up right to your comment. Since we've been getting large threads recently I thought it might be nice to know for those that don't know it.http://cannabisnews.com/news/18/thread18069.shtml#26
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Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on January 10, 2004 at 08:54:34 PT:
We got ya covered, AOLB
http://cannabisnews.com/news/18/thread18069.shtml Comment #26But your post demonstrates something I've noticed since coming here: at CNEWS, we cannabists have our antennae out ALL the time...we have to. Our opponents can afford to be sloppy and rest on their laurels; most are government workers hired not for their minds but their brutishness, anyway, so that's nothing new. People like us can't afford such a luxury.Keep it up!
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Comment #2 posted by Truth on January 10, 2004 at 08:47:18 PT
prison
lock them up, Bush too.
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Comment #1 posted by aolbites on January 10, 2004 at 08:40:39 PT
Bush Grabs New Power for FBI 
Bush Grabs New Power for FBI 
Wired News
By Kim Zetter 
02:00 AM Jan. 06, 2004 PTWhile the nation was distracted last month by images of Saddam Hussein's spider hole and dental exam, President George W. Bush quietly signed into law a new bill that gives the FBI increased surveillance powers and dramatically expands the reach of the USA Patriot Act.The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 [ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.2417.ENR: ] grants the FBI unprecedented power to obtain records from financial institutions without requiring permission from a judge. Under the law, the FBI does not need to seek a court order to access such records, nor does it need to prove just cause.Previously, under the Patriot Act, the FBI had to submit subpoena requests to a federal judge. Intelligence agencies and the Treasury Department, however, could obtain some financial data from banks, credit unions and other financial institutions without a court order or grand jury subpoena if they had the approval of a senior government official.The new law (see Section 374 of the act), however, lets the FBI acquire these records through an administrative procedure whereby an FBI field agent simply drafts a so-called national security letter stating the information is relevant to a national security investigation.And the law broadens the definition of "financial institution" to include such businesses as insurance companies, travel agencies, real estate agents, stockbrokers, the U.S. Postal Service and even jewelry stores, casinos and car dealerships.The law also prohibits subpoenaed businesses from revealing to anyone, including customers who may be under investigation, that the government has requested records of their transactions. Bush signed the bill on Dec. 13, a Saturday, which was the same day the U.S. military captured Saddam Hussein.-=cut=-
Bush Grabs New Power for FBI 
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