Senate Passes Patriot Act Renewal

IAmTheDave writes "The Senate has passed a renewal of the Patriot act, 89-10, after two extensions caused by months of negotiations. The only thing standing in the way of a full renewal is a House vote, expected to pass next week. The renewal comes with some privacy protections attached, however, some worry they are only cosmetic. Some lawmakers who voted for the package acknowledged deep reservations about the power it would grant to any president. "Our support for the Patriot Act does not mean a blank check for the president," said Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who voted to pass the bill package. Certain lawmakers supported passing the bill even though they were still wary about it - Arlen Specter urged his colleagues to pass it even as he promised to introduce a new measure and hold hearings on how to fix it. Terrorism aside, the bill also includes new legislation that has almost nothing to do with terrorism, like one measure, which would make it harder for illicit labs to obtain ingredients for methamphetamine by requiring pharmacies to sell nonprescription cold medicines only from behind the counter. I know that people like Arlen Specter promise further hearings - but why pass what you know is flawed?"

Comments

Why pass what you know is flawed? I'll tell you.

[Robotbeat]

"...but why pass what you know is flawed?" Well, for one thing, we live in a world that is flawed. Every software release is flawed to some extent. Every person is flawed. Every bill ever passed is flawed, incomplete, and perhaps inaccurate. That's life.

The Patriot Act provides the same tools for counter-terrorism officials that anti-narcotics officials have been using for years. Perhaps some of you don't remember 9/11. But don't you remember the March 11th train bombing in Madrid or the attacks just this last summer in London? This is not a crime-enforcing bill, it is a counter-terrorism bill. We are fighting a war. Sure, I may be inconvenienced by the Patriot Act, but nothing is more inconvenient than getting blown up on your way to work, like what tragically happened just this last summer. I mean, one of the government's few purposes is to keep the people safe. The US government failed to do that on 9/11. You can hardly blame us for wanting at least slightly better measures to keep such things from happening all the time!

(This is what I honestly think, don't just down-mod me because you don't agree.)

Re:You know what this means?

[Eightyford]

Oh yeah, my above post is entirely offtopic. Here, I'll just post it without the superfluous f-word.

You know what this means? This is much worse than I originally thought. At first I thought the lawmakers were just incompetent last time for not reading the bill, but now I know that the majority of them are downright f****** evil for renewing it.

Re:BECAUSE IT WORKS

[(trb001)]

Oh, come on now...most Americans don't know the wording of and powers granted in the PATRIOT Act; you're trying to tell me people in other countries have parsed it and decided that we're hypocrites based on its passage? I sincerely doubt it. Our economic and military position has much more bearing on a foreigner's outlook.

--trb