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Senate Fails To Reauthorize Patriot Act Provisions
PostConsumerRecycled writes "CNN is reporting that 'The Senate on Friday rejected attempts to reauthorize several provisions of the USA Patriot Act as infringing too much on Americans' privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders ... If a compromise is not reached, the 16 Patriot Act provisions expire on December 31.' The story also links to listing of the provisions that will expire."
Oddly enough, one of the Senators who wished the act would die was John Sununu. Good for him.
don't really like 'Senate Fails To Reauthorize Patriot Act Provisions' would prefer Senate Succeeds in failing To Reauthorize Patriot Act Provisions'
Assuming it's true he said that, I wish someone had stepped up and replied "... and the bible is just a god damned [human authored] book"
Belief is the currency of delusion.
Can't honestly say I know a whole lot about the Patriot Act, but Glenn Reynolds discussed it in his msnbc blog today. He quotes another blog which basically states that only about 1% of the Patriot Act is expiring due to the non-reauthorization. And that futher, much of the reauthorization would have put limits on the egregous non-expiring stuff. So, this is a mixed bag. Not sure if it's a victory or not. It's a symbolic victory, but perhaps not substantial...
Regardless of whether the point is to target terrorists, there needs to be some check on the powers. In an unchecked society, we kidnap people off the streets in Germany, rendite (?) them to Afghanistan for several months, where we torture them and then realize it was all a case of mistaken identity, so we drop them off in Albania. The DOD starts keeping tabs on anti-war protestors. The President starts writing executive orders which allow the NSA to spy on American citizens. The "no torture" bill that passes is great, until the military decides to re-write the army field manual and then classify it, so we can't even say what torture is.
All in the name of protecting us from "terrorists"
The Diebold on Ohio, Bush skipping out on Vietnam and Karl Rove leaking Valery Plame were spun to sound utterly fake as well. Funny thing about them... the evidence started appearing long after the articles were written.
I doubt he was 100% serious, but I wouldn't put it past him to state it.
No, they're not really listening very well. This wasn't a vote to kill the evil bill - this was the Democrats threatening to filibuster it if there's a vote on it, and the Republicans not having enough control over their party members to override and limit debate. Some of the Democrats, and maybe even some Republicans, may be listening to their consciences here, which would be a good start, or to reasoned public comment, though mostly they're listening to the political winds blowing and deciding that it's the right partisan move at the right time.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Let's not forget that the US government had ample opportunity to stop the Sept 11 attacks even without the PATRIOT act. They failed thanks to ossified bureaucracy, not a lack of police powers.
And it is quite possible to plan a large-scale attack on Americans without setting foot in the United States (for example, this). But thanks to a stubbornly unilateral foreign policy, the United States has trouble getting the international cooperation it needs to protect its citizens.
Thirty years from now, the current administration will be a textbook example of how not to conduct a campaign against terrorism.
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
Please refer me to the portion of the National Security Letter provision that requires a judge's authorization before one is issued.
To fight the war on terror, stop being afraid.
... since the attack, and going heavy with spying on USA citizens or Rambo action in foreign countries won't be accepted well by the people.
Politicians are driven by their interests first and foremost, and public support is also part of that interest.
However, with the provisions now failing to pass, you can expect more "terrorist attack expected in city X in place Y" bogus reports coming from various organisations, to boost fear and try again to pass the provisions.
Fear is power.
Read the reasons for yourself.
Well, RvW actually cites that the violation of ones privacy is prohibited by the constitution under illegal search, and therefore exempt from amendment X.
However, the big inconsistency is the implications of such a widespread privacy connotation by the constitution. RvW applies it only to abortion as that is a medical decision of a woman doing something private to her body. There really is no reason why such a decision doesn't also make all drug use legal, as well as euthanasia, suicide, even bloodsports. Such a decision expressly forbids any state or the federal congress from making any law restricting the open practice of televised gladiators! Of course, no one has really pressed this issue, as even hinting that there might be something wrong with the logic of the decision is political suicide, but damnit, I want my network television Autoduel! How cool is that?!? AADA on ESPN, the Harvey "Moose" Malone in his Modified Timeshifter Photon Plus with MFR bumpertrigger goes up against Crazy Rodney Steamer in the infamous Vlad the Impala equipped with a brushcutting ramplate!
Roe Vs. Wade says I can have that, and damnit, I want autoduel! It's *IMPLIED* to be my unalienable right!
Sorry.. I got carried away there...
I prefer the UK version of this one. Courtesy of the Guardian:
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
Wrong. Read today's NY Times.
It's in paragraph 36 or 37. The FISC judge resisted wiretaps based on where certain information came from.
Actually...
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
...it does. The fact that that's widely ignored and widely allowed might be true, but that's like saying speeding is legal because everyone does it.
To fight the war on terror, stop being afraid.