AP - Vote to Extend Patriot Act (Coincided w/Bogus Bombings Yesterday)

Updated: 05:27 AM EDT
Lawmakers Vote to Extend Patriot Act
By GLEN JOHNSON, AP
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050721185009990007

WASHINGTON (July 22) - The House voted to extend indefinitely the anti-terrorist USA Patriot Act, while limiting to 10 years two provisions of the law that have become linchpins in the ongoing congressional debate: allowing federal agents to use roving wiretaps and to search library and medical records.

By a 257-171 margin, lawmakers who earlier Thursday had watched reports of attempted terrorist bombings in London, agreed to renew key provisions of the Patriot Act that were set to expire at the end of this year.

Forty-three Democrats joined 214 Republicans in passing the bill, which dropped 14 of 16 expiration dates on provisions initially drafted into the law shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Hours earlier, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved its own general extension of the law, but it called for Congress to re-examine the wiretap and library provisions after another four-year time period. The full Senate likely will vote on the bill this fall, before the competing measures are reconciled in a conference committee.

President Bush cheered the House vote.

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Another successful amendment calls for a 20-year jail term for an attack against a rail or mass-transit vehicle; a 30-year sentence if the vehicle carries nuclear material; and life imprisonment - with the possibility of the death penalty - if anyone is killed in such an attack.

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07-22-05 05:36 EDT

We need to know who the fifth column consists of so we can vote them out.