Dogs that Bark
Local bookies have already been dealt with by the patriot act. Offshore books are just watching the situation to see how it evolves. Everyone is nervous with Ashcroft at the helm as he says one thing and then does completely the opposite the next moment. Players to date haven't yet been prosecuted with the Patriot Act, but that would come after the election if it were to occur anyways. I recognize that governing during these difficult times can make strange bedfellows but using terrorist legislation to prosecute bookies and possibly players seems the height of intellectual dishonesty to me.
As far as the other objectives you've outlined, I have no real problem with. The problem I have with the situation is we're not using the resources we currently have available to repell terrorism. We're laughingly remiss in so many areas that using the patriot act stateside seems like putting screen doors on submarines. If we had bolstered our nationwide security to it's highest level and then recognized that further measures were needed.....OK....I'd play along. But that really didn't happen. If our safety was this administration's concern, other measures at the borders and on public transportation venues would have been tightened immediately.
The patriot act seems more of an agenda driven piece of legislation that gives gestapo power to this administration to use as it sees fit. I can live with it as I have nothing to hide, but dislike it's pragmatic misuse.
