President renews Patriot Act from Europe by using a robotic autopen

Obama recently signed a controversial bill. The bill renewed certain provisions of the Patriot Act which were expiring. It went to the White House for approval, though Obama is currently visiting Europe. He finalized the bill via an autopen, a mechanical device which is able to replicate signatures. The machine being used at all is causing a controversy.

Still seeing government surveillance taking place

Recently, certain key provisions of the Patriot Act, were set to expire unless a bill was created, passed by Congress and finalized by the president. The controversial surveillance was passed and finalized into law by President Obama at the last minute. This was in spite of all the debate on it, reports the Christian Science Monitor. Even though Senator Rand Paul tried to rally against the bill, the government can still use the internet, business records and wiretaps without a warrant whenever they want. However, according to CNN, brouhaha in Congress has begun since the president used a robotic pen.

The new autopen

The signature was needed quickly on the document in the president was in France. He used an autopen to sign it. A person’s signature is reproduced with an autopen. The difference between an autopen and genuine signature is almost impossible to tell. Some of the machines are extremely complex. Some aren’t complex at all though, reports MSNBC. There are two businesses in the U.S. that make them, and a brief interview with Bob Olding, owner of one of those corporations, is being reproduced on several news online websites. ABC spoke with Damillic Corp., owner Olding who said that the technology hasn’t changed much since the 1930s when it came out. He makes sure the products are being used ethically by Damillic consumers as part of company policy.

Nothing illegal about this

The Constitution claims “he shall sign it” in reference to the president signing the bill. As long as a signature is directed to be attached to a document, it is valid, according to the Department of Justice. The Justice Department at first looked to the use of an autopen for precisely this purpose in 2005 and informed then President Bush that as long as he indicated his consent to the signature, an auto signature was legally valid. Vice President Quayle admits that he used an autopen in 1992 while Donald Rumsfeld used one in 2004. This was for the letters he sent to families of troops killed. Thomas Jefferson built a signature and letter duplication machine, or polygraph, in the 19th century. Autopens aren’t that uncommon. They were used in the past by astronauts, business executives and government officials.

Citations

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0527/Patriot-Act-three-controversial-provisions-that-Congress-voted-to-keep

CNN

whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/27/rise-of-the-machines-autopen-puts-bill-into-law/?hpt=T2

MSNBC

firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/27/6731197-the-great-presidential-autopen-hullabaloo

ABC

blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/robama-is-it-ok-for-a-president-to-autopen-a-bill-into-law.html

Damillic Inc

realsig.com/index.htm