Patriot Act Rejected

Patriot Act Rejected
December 16th, 2005

The Senate dealt a setback to Bush today on the Patriot Act. A bipartisan group of Senators said the proposed revisions do not adequately protect Civil Liberties.

The Democratic-led filibuster drew enough Republican support to keep the president’s allies from gaining the 60 votes needed to end debate in the 100-member chamber. The 52-47 vote will require the White House and congressional leaders to seek another way to deal with the scheduled Dec. 31 expiration of key aspects of the law.

In the Senate debate today, several lawmakers cited a New York Times report (reported here yesterday by Ron)disclosing that Bush had signed a secret order in 2002, authorizing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens and foreign nationals in the United States.

“Mr. President, it is time to have checks and balances in this country,” thundered Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat. “We are a democracy!“

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1419

A nice Christmas gift... somebody remembered the Bill of Rights.

Is it really rejected?

Those include roving wire taps, secret library searches, and some of the other more-intrusive measures of the act. Unless Congress approves continuing these measures, they will expire with the new year. Other parts of the Patriot Act will still be law, though.

so we just have to block the extension until Dec 31 then they will automatically expire.

Hows that? ;)

More accurately, the more-egregious parts of the Patriot Act appear to be killed for now, but won't be down and out until 2006.

:toast:

Is the worm turning? It will take decades to undo the damage * and his right wing fascist cronies have done but I hope this is the first solid step without an upraised arm.

While I am glad that the NYT finally got off their asses and reported this abrogation of free and fair government on the part of this misadministration, they were ready to go to press on this story a full year ago, which means they had the bubble on the issue for even longer than that.

... The White House asked The New York Times not to publish this article, arguing that it could jeopardize continuing investigations and alert would-be terrorists that they might be under scrutiny. After meeting with senior administration officials to hear their concerns, the newspaper delayed publication for a year to conduct additional reporting. Some information that administration officials argued could be useful to terrorists has been omitted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/politics/15cnd-program.html?ei=5094&en=0a4739ca3ab6d63b&hp=&ex=1134709200&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

Wonder how the 04 vote would have gone had the JudyMiller Times not kowtowed to the Monkey, and reported, to the liberal left and the "stay out of my shit" right, that your home is NOT your castle, and the GUBMINT can do anything it damn well pleases?

And what bugs me, especially, is WHERE THE FUCK was CONGRESS?

Some officials familiar with it say they consider warrantless eavesdropping inside the United States to be unlawful and possibly unconstitutional, amounting to an improper search. One government official involved in the operation said he privately complained to a Congressional official about his doubts about the legality of the program. But nothing came of his inquiry. "People just looked the other way because they didn't want to know what was going on," he said.

And when GOP assholes so CRAVENLY mix politics with national security (911! 911!!! Ooooh, be VERY AFRAID!!!!!!!) and it takes THIS to finally get people irate...well, words fucking FAIL ME.

Seeking Congressional approval was also viewed as politically risky because the proposal would be certain to face intense opposition on civil liberties grounds. The administration also feared that by publicly disclosing the existence of the operation, its usefulness in tracking terrorists would end, officials said.

Those clicks on your phone line are not your imagination!!! Fucking bastards; I am appalled.

I cannot say "better late than never" until a few heads roll...of course, that remark probably earns me a star on the enemies list....fuck it, bring it on!

I am ANGRY...

...away from family, friends, loved ones, in shitty and sometimes scary assignments, working long, miserable hours, at pay that wasn't always very good, putting up with crap that no normal person would find tolerable, for the whole idea that we were supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States. We were doing our bit for the public good, for our fellow citizens. Now, come to find out, these fuckers are wiping their asses on the Constitution, and flushing our patriotic service down the crapper. Like Donnie Rumsfeld said, we were 'fungibles.'

I am enraged. I can't believe that this bastard was able to get away with THAT EGREGIOUS an abrogation, and not one fucking sonofabitch in the Congress stood up and blew the Bullshit Whistle. Not ONE!!!

It will be interesting to find out WHO KNEW, who kept silent, who didn't even COMPLAIN, who didn't want to touch it with a forty foot pole...we need the list of Quislings. They make an Enemies List, WE make an Enemies List. Those who failed to fight this should not be forgiven or forgotten. I feel like my whole fucking career was a charade--and it will have been, unless we see some frog marching, from the goddamn TOP down.

Sometimes it's nice to have a reminder of the good old days....

It was lead by Feingold, but it couldn't have been without the help of Republicans like Craig and others. Put this with the White House caving on McCain's torture bill and Bu$h and Rove can't even win battles within their own party.

And to quote Bob Dylan...

Then they'll raise their hands,
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands,
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered.
And like Pharaoh's tribe,
They'll be drownded in the tide,
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered.