Taking a clear stand against anti-privacy provisions in the Patriot Act, the U.S. House of Representatives in an overwhelmingly bipartisan effort last
night agreed to an amendment that would bar federal law enforcement from carrying out secret "sneak and peek" searches without notifying the target
of the warrant.
The Otter Amendment, added to the Commerce, Justice and State Departments funding bill and named after Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter, an Idaho Republican,
passed by an extraordinary margin of 309 to 118, with 113 Republicans voting in favor.
"Not only does this provision allow the seizure of personal and business records without notification, but it also opens the door to nationwide
search warrants and allowing the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and NSA (National Security Agency) to operate domestically," Otter said.
www.alternet.org...