Where are Leftist “Civil Libertarians” Now: Obama Supports DNA Sampling Upon Arrest

Gitmo is still open, so much for civilian trials, summary executions with CIA drones still go on, the Patriot Act was extended, Obama and Democrats move to have the power to take control of the internet, Obama Czar’s trying to avoid Congressional oversight and the list goes on.

Where is the almost daily drumbeat from the left and the elite media pounding Obama and using the not so vague Nazi references like they did to President Bush?

Now this…

Wired Magazine:

Josh Gerstein over at Politico sent Threat Level his piece underscoring once again President Barack Obama is not the civil-liberties knight in shining armor many were expecting.

Gerstein posts a televised interview of Obama and John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted. The nation’s chief executive extols the virtues of mandatory DNA testing of Americans upon arrest, even absent charges or a conviction. Obama said, “It’s the right thing to do” to “tighten the grip around folks” who commit crime.

When it comes to civil liberties, the Obama administration has come under fire for often mirroring his predecessor’s practices surrounding state secrets, the Patriot Act and domestic spying. There’s also Gitmo, Jay Bybee and John Yoo.

Now there’s DNA sampling. Obama told Walsh he supported the federal government, as well as the 18 states that have varying laws requiring compulsory DNA sampling of individuals upon an arrest for crimes ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. The data is lodged in state and federal databases, and has fostered as many as 200 arrests nationwide, Walsh said.

The American Civil Liberties Union claims DNA sampling is different from mandatory, upon-arrest fingerprinting that has been standard practice in the United States for decades.

A fingerprint, the group says, reveals nothing more than a person’s identity. But much can be learned from a DNA sample, which codes a person’s family ties, some health risks, and, according to some, can predict a propensity for violence.

I support Gitmo, military trials for war criminals and some provisions in the Patriot Act, but DNA sampling for those who have not been convicted and without a warrant has so much temptation and potential for abuse, that it must be opposed.