Strip Clubs and The Patriot Act

November 7, 2003

In the past couple days, a federal grand jury indicted three current and former Las Vegas area officials on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges are part of an FBI public corruption investigation in which the US Patriot Act was used to obtain information to support the indictments. One of the key figures is a striptease club owner in Las Vegas.

The FBI believes it legally used the Patriot Act. The strip club owner and his attorney think otherwise and believe the act was not intended to crack down on political corruption.

Many believe the act is too broad and can be used for non terrorist activities such crimes involving drug traffickers and child pornographers.

Now it has happened. The Patriot Act has been used to investigate politicians!  Horrors!

Senator Harry Reid, (NV) got into the fray and said:

"The law was intended for activities related to terrorism and not to naked women,"

"Let me say, with Galardi and his whole gang, I don't condone, appreciate or support all their nakedness. But having said that, I haven't heard anyone say at any time he was involved with terrorism."

Representative Shelley Berkley- (NV) said she was preparing an inquiry about the FBI using the Patriot Act for non-terrorism cases.  She said:

"The law makes it easy for citizens' rights to be abused. It was never my intention that the Patriot Act be used for garden-variety crimes and investigations."
 
Las Vegas Review Journal article of November 5 2003

No one has said the FBI illegally applied the law, they just say the law wasn't intended to be used that way. Nonsense.

The Patriot Act is certainly broad but Congress was aware of this when they approved it. Therefore, none of this should be a surprise. The fault lies with Congress and not the FBI.

NOTE: The FBI investigation in Southern Nevada was not about "naked women" but political corruption. Senator Reid doesn't get it.

Congress may change the language of the Act, but don't bet on it, unless the FBI uses it to investigate their behaviors.

The FBI must use whatever laws at its disposal to "take down" child pornographers, drug traffickers and corrupt politicians. 

Political corruption anywhere is every bit a threat to national security as Muslim extremists. Further, there are crimes such as child pornography and abuse that are as heinous as "terrorism" and demand through investigation and prosecution.

Who can really argue those crimes aren't  terrorism, the domestic kind?