Patriot Act Reauthorization Bloated with Pork

From ZDnet.com:

What do mandatory drug testing, cigarette taxes and methamphetamine restrictions have to do with protecting America from terrorists?

As far as I can tell, the answer is "nothing." But they nevertheless appear in a 219-page proposed law to renew the Patriot Act that Republicans have scheduled for a vote this week.

Some bizarre (and some relevant) examples follow. The conference report:

• Reduces the amount of contraband cigarettes that qualifies as a federal crime. The number drops from 60,000 cigarettes to 10,000.

• Increases electronic surveillance of visitors and tourists by ditching a requirement that a surveillance target must be an agent of a "foreign power." Extends electronic monitoring of visitors' and tourists' Internet activities and telephone dialing habits from 90 days to one year.

• Boosts criminal penalties: Possessing methamphetamine for distribution to a minor yields a prison term of up to 20 years. Requires a "feasibility study" of a new federal drug court, and funds mandatory drug testing.

Read the full article here:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5991773.html