The last refuge of scoundrels.

Samuel Johnson once said, "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." Knowing this, I think many libertarians knew that the so-called "Patriot Act"--passed hastily in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, another bad sign--would be bad news for civil liberties.

The other shoe dropped--the head of the FBI has confessed that his agency has used the Patriot Act to ignore the Constitution beyond what even it purports to allow.

I'm sure there will be more eloquent expressions of genuine outrage. However, I feel I should point out that all this "outrage" from the government is purely for show.

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III asked, "How could this happen?" and "Who is to be held accountable? And the answer to that is I am to be held accountable." Yet, he neither resigned nor advocated a repeal of the Patriot Act.

Then there are the grandstanding senators. Quoted in the New York Times story, we have...

“It is time to place meaningful checks on the Bush administration’s ability to misuse the Patriot Act by overusing national security letters,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader. ...

Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, “National security letters are a powerful tool, and when they are misused, they can do great harm to innocent people.” Mr. Leahy said his panel would hold extensive hearings...

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee (and, like Mr. Leahy, a former prosecutor), told reporters that the bureau had apparently “badly misused national security letters.” ...

Senator Russell D. Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat on the judiciary panel who voted against the original Patriot Act, said the inspector general’s inquiry “proves that ‘trust us’ doesn’t cut it” when it comes to the F.B.I.

Everyone in Congress seems outraged, but none of them seem to be talking about any meaningful changes to the status quo. All I can say to all those comments are that those of us who truly care about civil liberties and the Constitution don't want hearings, investigations, or grandstanding. We want this unconstitutional law gone, repealed. Firing some of the officials who lead the abusive agencies (Mueller and Gonzales come to mind) would be good, too--not just the minions (who also deserve dismissal).

Anthony D. Romero of the ACLU is also quoted in the story as having said that, “This confirms some of our worst suspicions,” and that "This attorney general cannot be part of the solution. ... He is part of the problem.” True enough, but I think you could say the same about Congress on this one.