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Senate Passes 4-Year Re-Up of Patriot Act Provisions
Bloomberg News reports that, as expected, today "[t]he US Senate approved a four-year extension of provisions in the USA Patriot Act allowing law enforcement to track suspected terrorists with roving wiretaps. ... The measure goes to the House for final passage before being sent to President Barack Obama for his signature. The surveillance powers would be extended until June 1, 2015." The story mentions that the Patriot Act powers this approval includes would extend "to so-called 'lone wolf' suspects who aren't affiliated with any terrorist group."
John, this legislation is nothing but the very tip of the iceberg. Even if it were canned, nothing would really change. Your entire society has some pretty severe problems with it these days, and this sort of legislation is perhaps even one of the most minor of all of the problems.
Your nation's economy is in the shitter thanks to outsourcing, "free trade" and several costly wars that have been lost (Iraq) or are in the process of being lost (Afghanistan). Many Americans live in conditions that are worse than those of even the shittiest third-world nations.
Then there's been the massive rise of stupidity. Education is frowned upon in many areas of the United States. Combined with religion, this becomes a very dangerous mix. The fact that the Republican Party gets any support at all these days is an excellent indicator of just how bad the situation has become.
There are so many systemic problems at play that solving just one or two won't do a damn thing to improve the entire situation.
I believe this is the bill, intuitively titled Small Business Additional Temporary Extension Act of 2011. Apparently, this bill was "amended" by removing and replacing the entire text with the PATRIOT ACT renewal!
Any senator NOT in the following list has some serious explaining to do:
Sen. Max Baucus [D, MT]
Sen. Mark Begich [D, AK]
Sen. Jeff Bingaman [D, NM]
Sen. Sherrod Brown [D, OH]
Sen. Maria Cantwell [D, WA]
Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D, MD]
Sen. Dean Heller [R, NV]
Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT]
Sen. Mike Lee [R, UT]
Sen. Jeff Merkley [D, OR]
Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R, AK]
Sen. Rand Paul [R, KY]
Sen. Bernard Sanders [I, VT]
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen [D, NH]
Sen. Jon Tester [D, MT]
Sen. Tom Udall [D, NM]
Sen. Mark Udall [D, CO]
Sen. Ron Wyden [D, OR]
Anybody have a list?
Here's the list. You can filter by state with one of the links at the top. Three cheers for both of my state's senators voting nay. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=1&vote=00076
See how your senators voted here. I'm happy to see that both my senators (Cantwell and Murray) voted against.
The Patriot Act isn't as invulnerable as it once was. It got only 72 votes in favor -- twelve above the necessary threshold. Maybe we can get rid of it in ten years or so.
Actually, I think a lot of people are looking at the wrong bill... The one I posted above is from February (sorry) but this one was from today:
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/112/senate/1/84
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
Here is the official roll call, btw:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=1&vote=00084
As noted, the name of the bill is completely unrelated because they took the unrelated bill and completely replaced it with the patriot act renewal. This is the type of practice that happens all the time. Running the congress app on my android has opened my eyes to the shenanigans that are pulled daily. Our government is a sham, folks.
That must be why we haven't heard him say a single damn word about it. At all. Because he's just holding his tongue, so he can wield the veto power, yeah?
It's actually worse than holding his tongue. He has come out in support of the renewal and accused the short list of senators opposed to it of threatening national security.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/obama-administration-says-rand-paul-risking-national-security-by-delaying-patriot-act.html
If your congressman or senator failed to vote against this violation of the fourth and fifth amendments, he or she has violated their oath of office. Don't vote for them again unless you want this shit to continue.
-jcr
Here's a roll call of votes on the patriot act.
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2011/02/08/roll-call-vote-who-voted-for-and-against-the-patriot-act-282011/
I want to make a point here. I know many-a-commenter likes to equate the democrats and republicans, saying they are both pro-corporate, and both *equally* bad for us. And yet when I see roll calls on votes, as you will see here, there is a striking trend among the issues that most americans (of all parties) are not getting represented correctly on.... Take a look. You'll see it right away unless you're in denial. Squint your eyes... Have a look.
Yes.. you see some dems on YEAS. and you see some repubs on NAYS. But what you *really* see as a whole is that the republicans are consistently selling us out.
So go ahead, attempt to equate the parties, but on issues like this, the truth is absolutely clear, them dems are definitely the lesser of two evils. Spread the word, and if you're a republican, at least accept the truth. Please. And then go ask your representative why they are always selling you out.
HE JUST FUCKING TOLD YOU, ASSHOLE.
Get involved. Run a campaign. Run for office yourself. Though at the rate you're going, I'd be buggered if I vote for a weaksauce whinger like you. Hell, even just running on a solid platform and getting your ass kicked would be better than sitting on your pasty-white ass and complaining that 'nobody told you what to do!'
Well, fine. SOMEONE is telling you what to do and how to fix the goddamned system. Shake it up. Get involved. Kick ass and take names. Tell people what you're standing up for and DO it. Tell them that a vote for you is a vote against violation of the Constitution. Are you going to sit there and whine how you don't listen to ACs, or are you going to FUCKING DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
I hope this is a lesson to everyone regarding temporary suspension of powers. There is NO SUCH THING AS TEMPORARY. Once you give them away they are gone until the next revolution and re-establishment of laws.
I don't think you quite have the hang of how things work in a democracy.
After the Civil War, black Americans were free, but then segregation laws were passed in some states, but they were ultimately struck down. The United States once had a constitutional amendment prohibiting alcohol, and then it was undone as very unpopular by another constitutional amendment. During World War 2, Americans had their spending controlled by ration books for things like food, gasoline, and clothing. That's over. During World War 2, American media and mail was censored by the government. That's over. Until recently, cities and states could place onerous restrictions or prohibitions on the ownership of firearms by law abiding citizens, but that has been struck down.
The Patriot Act was previously amended to address civil rights concerns:
Most Americans are OK with spying on people in direct contact with terrorist organizations, or who are plotting an attack.
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
Experts are already bought and paid for with research funding, and failing to walk the party line gets you out of a job and out of your position of an advisor.
Dr David Nutt, advisor for drug policy to the Labour government, said marijuana shouldn't be reclassified to Class B (up from the C they dropped it to) and should be regulated, but legalised. Weed was reclassified, Nutt was fired.
The corruption is deeper than politicians, I'm afraid.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/