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Old 2008-11-10, 09:43   Link #25
SeijiSensei
AS Oji-kun
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
We heard little from either candidate about civil liberties issues after the financial collapse, but in the long run I believe they matter more than the economy. Economies expand, contract, and expand again, but it will take determined effort to restore our civil liberties to the condition they were in before 2001.

Obama can implement some important symbolic actions on Inauguration Day like signing an executive order closing the Guantanamo prison and renouncing renditions and torture as tactics. Overturning the most disgusting portions of the PATRIOT act will take a lot longer, especially since the Democrats in Congress will have to admit they made a mistake. I presume they can dress it up by saying the original bill had some problems that need readjustment.

Obama's capitulation on telecom immunity worries me that he won't do the right thing on what most people view as fringe issues. To me, liberty is what America has historically been about, but those concerns fade to the background when people can't afford to stay in their homes or put food on the table.

Anyone looking for copyright reform during the next four years will be sorely disappointed. While the content industries have substantial influence with both parties, they're especially closely allied with the Democrats. Years of substantial campaign contributions from Hollywood have pretty much guaranteed that. I found myself allied with people I would never otherwise support when it came to voting on the 2008 Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act. Sam Brownback? Jon Kyl? Not my usual cup of tea.
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