Happy Freakin' Holidays
In their rush to get home for the holiday break, senators found enough spine to defeat the amendment to a spending bill which would open up the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, but they couldn't find enough spine to defeat the Patriot Act-2005. According to the NY Times, a last minute 'deal' was struck extending the current act for six months.
With time running short on Capitol Hill, the Senate breathed new life late Wednesday night into the moribund USA Patriot Act, agreeing to extend it by six months. President Bush said he appreciated the move, but it was unclear if the House would approve it.
"No one should be allowed to block the Patriot Act," Mr. Bush said in a statement, referring to a bipartisan coalition of senators who last week derailed a measure to update the act, the nation's main antiterrorism law.
...Senators on both sides of the debate seemed to agree that some form of the antiterrorism law was necessary, but they differed deeply on how much latitude the government should have in searching homes and obtaining business, medical and library records of terrorism suspects.
"What we're trying to do is achieve a balanced and effective Patriot Act, one that promotes our security and preserves our freedom, a bill that's going to earn and deserve the widespread support of the American people," said Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who led the filibuster and pushed for the extension. [Emphasis added]
You would think that with all the media ink spilled on the latest revelations of government spying on its own citizens without any Constitutionally guaranteed oversight that the Senate would have had the ideal argument against allowing further intrusions into our civil liberties. Unfortunately, you would be wrong.
All sixteen of the sunsetted provisions should have been allowed to expire and the congress should have started from scratch next year when Congress reconvened in the midst of hearings on the NSA activity. That would have put the Patriot Act in the proper perspective. Still, I suppose a six month extension is better than a ten year extension on some of the most egregiously intrusive provisions.
What galls me the most is the arrogance of the White House in demanding the bill be passed. "No one should be allowed to block the Patriot Act." I'm sorry, Mr. Resident: that is precisely the role Congress was meant to take on bad bills. You may feel the Constitution is just a piece of paper, but real patriots feel otherwise.
Moron.
With time running short on Capitol Hill, the Senate breathed new life late Wednesday night into the moribund USA Patriot Act, agreeing to extend it by six months. President Bush said he appreciated the move, but it was unclear if the House would approve it.
"No one should be allowed to block the Patriot Act," Mr. Bush said in a statement, referring to a bipartisan coalition of senators who last week derailed a measure to update the act, the nation's main antiterrorism law.
...Senators on both sides of the debate seemed to agree that some form of the antiterrorism law was necessary, but they differed deeply on how much latitude the government should have in searching homes and obtaining business, medical and library records of terrorism suspects.
"What we're trying to do is achieve a balanced and effective Patriot Act, one that promotes our security and preserves our freedom, a bill that's going to earn and deserve the widespread support of the American people," said Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who led the filibuster and pushed for the extension. [Emphasis added]
You would think that with all the media ink spilled on the latest revelations of government spying on its own citizens without any Constitutionally guaranteed oversight that the Senate would have had the ideal argument against allowing further intrusions into our civil liberties. Unfortunately, you would be wrong.
All sixteen of the sunsetted provisions should have been allowed to expire and the congress should have started from scratch next year when Congress reconvened in the midst of hearings on the NSA activity. That would have put the Patriot Act in the proper perspective. Still, I suppose a six month extension is better than a ten year extension on some of the most egregiously intrusive provisions.
What galls me the most is the arrogance of the White House in demanding the bill be passed. "No one should be allowed to block the Patriot Act." I'm sorry, Mr. Resident: that is precisely the role Congress was meant to take on bad bills. You may feel the Constitution is just a piece of paper, but real patriots feel otherwise.
Moron.
posted by Diane at 4:24 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home