Slashdot Mirror
Senate Proposes Patriot Act Extension
geekylinuxkid writes "Senate leaders reached a bipartisan agreement Wednesday night to extend expiring and controversial provisions of the Patriot Act for six months. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican from Tennessee, announced the agreement from the Senate floor, ending an impasse over the measure." From the article: "Last week, the House voted 251-174 to renew the 16 provisions after striking a compromise that altered some of them. The provisions were set to expire at year's end if not renewed. Controversial measures include those allowing the FBI -- with a court order -- to obtain secret warrants for business, library, medical and other records, and to get a wiretap on every phone a suspect uses." More commentary on the BBC. We reported on last week's failure of the original renewal.
I don't understand why the Patriot act must expire, it should be in force all of the time. Terrorism is not a seasonal enemy
Let me translate. The phrase "do the right thing" is conservative talk for bend over and grab your ankles.
The sheer amount of ignorance around the PATRIOT act by liberals is astounding. You do realize that it was passed 98-1 initially?
The USA PATRIOT act does NOT introduce one new power not already available to the government or a DA in some form to Drug Dealers. Flexible roaming wiretaps, "after the fact" search notices, applying wire taps to Internet usage, etc.
Please, do the research and actually read through the entire legislation before making a judgement. I know it isn't the liberal way, but try it once.
First, Bush authorized taps on international calls. There is no wholesale wiretapping of citizens.
Congress authorized Bush to use "all" means. Sounds pretty authoritative to me. And the precident is there for various conditions under which search warrants aren't necessary.
As for the "liar" and "idiot" comments, puhleez...grow up.
I guess you should have been the number three guy in the Justice department during Clinton's Administration. You apparently know better than he does.
Slashdot is beginning to sound like the unhinged nut case democraticunderground.com
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Attack Republicans, not Iraq!