Forget Dean: Keep your eye on the PATRIOT Act renewal

[Spectral]

* is pushing for this. Remember it was supposed to be temporary?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050609/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

"...Bush described scary scenarios that he said were thwarted by law enforcement and intelligence officers working together with powers granted by the law he signed six weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Bush used the examples to pressure Congress to make permanent the provisions of the law that would otherwise expire at the end of the year. But he faces oppositions from civil libertarians who tell their own stories of law-abiding citizens dogged by secret probing of their private affairs.

The Patriot Act bolstered FBI surveillance and law-enforcement powers in terror cases and increased use of material witness warrants to hold suspects incommunicado for months.

Bush urged lawmakers to disregard what he called "unfair criticisms of this important good law." He said the Patriot Act has been used to bring charges against more than 400 suspects, and more than half have been convicted. He also said it has been used to break up terrorist cells in New York, Oregon, Virginia and Florida..."

[Mass]

1. Do we know who are the Democrats that voted Yes and NO?

[acmejack]

27. Ultimate resource for all things Congressional

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/rollcallvotes.html

On edit, this one just gives the important votes:
http://www.citizen.org/congress/voting/

[Spectral]

2. I don't have that right off hand but I'll look

Meanwhile, if someone else has that info, please post it.

[Spectral]

9. Still looking

BRB

[Spectral]

19. kick

:kick:

[atommom]

3. I agree. This is big news, and it's getting pushed through in secret.

WASHINGTON -- The FBI would get expanded powers to subpoena records without the approval of a judge or grand jury in terrorism investigations under Patriot Act revisions approved Tuesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

"This bill must be amended on the floor to protect national security while protecting Constitutional rights," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.

Ranking Democrat Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., supported the bill overall but said he would push for limits that would allow such administrative subpoenas "only if immediacy dictates."

Rockefeller and other committee members, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., also are concerned that the bill would grant powers to federal law enforcement agencies that could be used in criminal inquiries rather than intelligence-gathering ones.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/08/AR2005060800587.html

[Spectral]

10. "In secret" while they are keeping us busy with Dean crap

You kind of wonder who's all in on this

[Todd B]

4. It scares me when no one is focusing on the Republicans:

It scares me when the media focuses on something like this with Dean and the Dems because you never know what Bush and company will try and sneak behind our backs.

Is it really democracy when you have to worry about what your government is passing in terms of laws?!

[Spectral]

8. I totally agree. And people just seem to be eating it up

Or is that freepers trying to manipulate our front page?

[Zodiak]

5. Bullshit.

We should trust Bush on nothing. Where is he getting his statistics? Show me 200 convicted terrorists who were convicted ONLY because we had the Patriot Act. Show me that the PArtiot Act was ONLY used in terror investigations. No more words and flowery claims. Put up or shut up...no more secrets and no more automatically accepting what Bush says about national security as fact.

If he does not meet this burden of proof, I say we let the WHOLE THING sunset and tell Bush he had better be forthcoming with INFORMATION before making such claimsand expecting us to belive them.

[Spectral]

6. Did you all know that Congress just YESTERDAY voted for more powers

for the FBI under the PATRIOT Act? It took a FRENCH news service to report this since WE were kept busy arguing about Dean.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15557580-1702,00.html

US expanding anti-terror law
June 09, 2005
From: Agence France-Presse


A US law which greatly increased the powers of law enforcement agencies to monitor the private lives of citizens would become even broader under legislation debated in Congress.
The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee considered expanding the USA Patriot Act, which was approved by Congress days after the September 11, 2001 attacks, over the protests of civil libertarians who say the law infringes on personal freedoms.

"In a post 9/11 world, it would be irresponsible to refuse to provide our law enforcement authorities with vital anti-terrorism tools, based solely on the possibility that somewhere, at some time, someone might abuse the law," said Representative James Sensenbrenner, the Republican chairman of the committee.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a statement condemned the bill, saying "some parts of went too far too fast, and should be allowed to expire."

"Lawmakers have critically reviewed this controversial law, and now it's time to reform it" said Lisa Graves, an ACLU official.

"We must ensure that our civil liberties and privacy are not necessarily curtailed under the guise of national security," she said.

The Senate Intelligence Committee approved a draft of the bill that would give the FBI greater power to investigate and wiretap terror suspects. The Senate draft would also make permanent aspects of the bill, which is set to expire at the end of this year.

The proposed legislation, which was approved in a closed door hearing by a vote of 11-4, includes a provision that would allow the FBI to issue search warrants or "administrative subpoenas" for a terrorism investigation without first seeking approval from a judge or grand jury.

Senator John Rockefeller, the intelligence committee's top Democrat, expressed concern about the "broad scope" of the provision, which he said could be abused.

"We have well-established, constitutionally-sound procedures for securing warrants related to criminal activities," said Rockefeller, who said he opposed the expansion of the federal surveillance powers.

The Senate Intelligence Committee agreed to a four-year limit on the provisions, which would expire in 2009.

[Spectral]

7. Interesting that the French news agency was the only one reporting

on the PATRIOT act while everyone else had their panties in a twist over Dean. Now, there is a thread that says the US denied the French the right to land.

[Spectral]

11. kick

:kick:

[atommom]

12. kick

[burrowowl]

13. Yes call your Senators

and Rep. ACLU has a letter to send as well!

Call Congress today. You can look up your Representative's and Senators' direct numbers by clicking the link below, or you can call the Capitol Switchboard at [phone].
http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AS_CongressLookup

If you've already called, we want to hear how it went! You can report back on your call here:
https://secure.aclu.org/site/SSurvey?SURVEY_ID=1740&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&s_src=ACLUOnline

Take Action! Urge your Members of Congress to oppose expansion of the Patriot Act:
https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=221&s_src=ACLUOnline

[Spectral]

14. GREAT INFO!

Thanks!

[Boo Boo]

15. Yup. And the Bushites are doing their typical

misdirection, emphasizing the sharing of intelligence rather than the aspects that are direct assaults on the Constitution. I hope Congressional Dems don't let them control the debate on this. We need to make sure people understand what's really at stake. If we just preserved the part the Bush wants to talk about we could throw 99% of the Patriot Act away.

[Spectral]

16. Yes, they are.

how do we fight this?

[Boo Boo]

17. I think we start by hounding members of Congress

So far all I'm hearing is Bush; I want to hear Dems speaking out publicly on this before that vote happens, or I'm gonna be pissed!

[Spectral]

18. YES YES YES

Have written to mine. Repug, sadly. Hope he listens

[ngGale]

20. We need a list of the Dems who voted for this...

just makes declaring Marshall Law easier when the time is right.

[NVMojo]

21. I agree. They toasted our bread again, the bastards!

[baron j]

22. kick

[Stockholm]

23. Nominated!

This should have priority at the moment.

[stickdog]

24. I'm so sick of Vichy Dems rolling over for shit like this!

I happen to like the 4th Amendment the way it is, you chickenshit fucktards!

[stickdog]

25. DINO Feinstein Gives BushCo political cover to gut the Bill of Rights!

Bush also sought to defend the law by citing Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who said she has looked into the administration's use of the Patriot Act and found no abuses.


Fuck you, Finemess. Let's see that information for ourselves, you fascist whore! Why can't we see the cases ourselves? Where are we anyway, the USA or Stalin's USSR?

[Spectral]

29. Found no abuses? Is she kidding?

What does it take to get people to see the obvious?

[Theres-a]

26. Nominated

[Spectral]

30. Thank you

:donut:

[Theres-a]

28. ACLU video

http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AS_BlankCheckVideo

[Boo Boo]

31. ...and I like to kick! Stretch!

And KICK! (I'm 43. 43 years old.)

:kick:

[Spectral]

32. Cool!

Have a donut

:donut:

[earth mom]

33. KICK!

:kick: