Posted on 05/23/2015 1:59:00 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
WASHINGTON—The Senate early Saturday defeated a string of efforts to extend the Patriot Act as lawmakers splintered over its contentious phone surveillance program and left town with no plan in place to prevent the law from lapsing.
After next week’s Memorial Day recess, the Senate will resume its debate over the national security law at 4 p.m. on May 31, eight hours before the law expires at midnight.
Lawmakers fractured through the evening, rejecting a House bill overhauling the NSA, a two-month Patriot Act extension and then increasingly short extensions of the law. Primarily due to objections from presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) the Senate couldn't agree to pass even a 24-hour extension of the Patriot Act, the 2001 law that expanded the government’s authority to search for terror suspects.
“We better be ready next Sunday afternoon,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said on the Senate floor after the early-morning series of blocked votes. Next Sunday’s session will be an “opportunity to act responsibly and not allow this program to expire,” he said.
Beginning shortly after midnight, the Senate narrowly blocked a House bill ending the NSA’s collection of bulk phone information, requiring the government instead to obtain court approval to request phone records from companies on a case-by-case basis. The vote to move forward with the House bill was 57-42, short of the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate’s procedural threshold.
The bill had easily cleared the House with bipartisan support last week and was backed by the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
They already have their spy systems in place, thus dudden matter that it expires. The plants are in place, the data collection systems are in place, and they will continue to gather all the intel they want to get regardless the bill expires. The government has always and will continue to break the law to do what it wants to do. Every administration all do it. Both parties do it. The gathering of personal info began way back before all this. Remember all the files that J. Edgar Hoover used to gather over citizens, when he had no rights to do so. The FBI, CIA and all those other alphabet government agencies do it. I remember way way way back in the Army an Army intel officer telling me about all the info gathering that the government did. he was a good guy and did not like the stuff the government collected on citizens. This was in the 1970, early 80s. So it is there, and always has been around.
Given Obama’s abuse of this power...naming his political enemies, “terrorists”, I hope this police state mess is taken out.
The abuse that comes to mind that is most egregious is arming government employees in all agencies with hollow tip bullets and arms, molesting people at the airports, running unannounced fake “terrorist” raid on little children while they are at school and scaring them half to death... They have dragged the DOD into their nightmare “homeland security.” Spying on all Americans and especially our elected leaders.
It’s time for them to go.
Agreed. When our law makers create new legislation these days, often they give names that have nothing to do with the law or a name that implies the exact opposite.
My favorite is the ACA, Affordable Care Act.
Then we have slogans the low info crowd suck up: “Hope & Change”.
I just wonder if there is a historical precedent where Americans have been this stupid before and willingly overlooked corruption.
The question I had when Bush wanted it was this. Do you trust Hillary Clinton with that power? Obama proved my point.
Here’s the roll calls on the two votes.
A bill to reform the authorities of the Federal Government to require the production of certain business records, conduct electronic surveillance, use pen registers and trap and trace devices, and use other forms of information gathering for foreign intelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal purposes, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts: YEAs 57
NAYs 42
Not Voting 1
Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs -—57
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Booker (D-NJ)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Coons (D-DE)
Cruz (R-TX)
Daines (R-MT)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Flake (R-AZ)
Franken (D-MN)
Gardner (R-CO)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hirono (D-HI)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kaine (D-VA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Lankford (R-OK)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lee (R-UT)
Manchin (D-WV)
Markey (D-MA)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Peters (D-MI)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Scott (R-SC)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Sullivan (R-AK)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs -—42
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Capito (R-WV)
Cassidy (R-LA)
Coats (R-IN)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cotton (R-AR)
Crapo (R-ID)
Ernst (R-IA)
Fischer (R-NE)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
King (I-ME)
Kirk (R-IL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Perdue (R-GA)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rounds (R-SD)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sasse (R-NE)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Tillis (R-NC)
Toomey (R-PA)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Not Voting - 1
Enzi (R-WY)
A bill to extend authority relating to roving surveillance, access to business records, and individual terrorists as agents of foreign powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 until July 31, 2015, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts: YEAs 45
NAYs 54
Not Voting 1
YEAs -—45
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Capito (R-WV)
Cassidy (R-LA)
Coats (R-IN)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cotton (R-AR)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Ernst (R-IA)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kirk (R-IL)
Lankford (R-OK)
McCain (R-AZ)
Nelson (D-FL)
Perdue (R-GA)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rounds (R-SD)
Rubio (R-FL)
Sasse (R-NE)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Sullivan (R-AK)
Thune (R-SD)
Tillis (R-NC)
Toomey (R-PA)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)
NAYs -—54
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Booker (D-NJ)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Coons (D-DE)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Daines (R-MT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gardner (R-CO)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hirono (D-HI)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lee (R-UT)
Manchin (D-WV)
Markey (D-MA)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Moran (R-KS)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Paul (R-KY)
Peters (D-MI)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
Not Voting - 1
Enzi (R-WY)
Wouldn’t doubt it.
Excellent news.
Now put in a provision punishable by jail for anyone who knowingly spies on Americans. (The original intent of the freaking thing)
Amazing that ANYONE believes the “Patriot Act” secures anyone.
It missed Nadal Hassan.
It missed the Boston Bombers.
How exactly is Paul Marxist? Spell it out for me.
As Pro 2A as they come
Pro life.
Standing for Liberty against the NSA.
What are you smoking?
But they show their secret warrant to their secret judge in their secret court......just like the Founders intended/s
“Great, so the fear mongering of cultural Marxists like Rand Paul won the day, and we’re on our way back to a pre-9/11 world.”
Pre-9/11 ... Yes, back when the Constitution and Bill of Rights still held at least the illusion of being followed ...
So you prefer a police state? “Great” - GTF out of my country and move to North Korea, Cuba or Venezuela!
More g-d kabuki theater from the ruling class of the Uni-party. If anyone believes that the NSA regime will not get its Gestapo tactics reauthorized, then I have some ocean front property in Arizona to sell you. Mitch McConnell is as evil as the day is long, and therefore that treasonous SOB will make sure his slaves tow the line - just as always. The GOP is a rotting corpse - and the Democrat maggots are happily feeding upon whatever remains. The entire political class is nothing but one giant greasy turd that needs to flushed down the sewer pipe and into oblivion.
“... The information the NSA has collected in bulk from telecommunication-service providers does not include the names of telephone subscribers. They don’t know who you are. It does not include addresses. They don’t know where you are.”
Absolute Bull Crap!
It has already been demonstrated that such info CAN be retrieved from metadata. Saying that the NSA has no ability to do this is the height of naivete.
In this, Obama has now made the U. S. and its allies infinitely less safe—assisted in his mission by Rand & Co. Yes, we can all sleep easier now. Like hell we can.
The door to complete, ultra privacy slammed shut on 9/11. It will never open the same again despite the misguided and mangled attempts such as the present one.
The real rejoicing over this lethal action comes from Islamoterrorists who see once again that America is incapable of coming together, overcoming divisive individualism and posturing, to defend itself. They will attribute it all to Allah.
The collection of metadata to find connections between terrorists phones is hardly the reading of emails as the shouting claims. Will someone please explain just how terrorists can be identified by perpetually going to a court to seek permission to use the revamped program to somehow—somehow—identify yet unidentified millions of potential terrorists. How do you find a needle hidden in a haystack when you must first have permission to look for it by informing a judge or judges exactly where it is located?
I direct you to SunkenCiv's post in this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3200117/posts
Also consider:
"Paul made pro-life activists curious when he said that Republicans should agree to disagree on social issues. Then, in an April interview, Paul says he doesn’t anticipate changing the laws on abortion and added that his belief that life begins at conception is a personal and religious one, not a scientific viewpoint.
“The country is in the middle (and) we’re not changing any of the laws until the country is persuaded otherwise,” he says."
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/05/19/rand-paul-makes-curious-abortion-comment-that-may-make-some-pro-life-voters-nervous/
Then there's more. On gay marriage:
"Paul's staffers say he believes the issue should be left to the states to decide.[43][44] He has said he thought that the Supreme Court's ruling in Windsor v. United States, which struck down the portion of the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage at a federal level (as between a man and a woman), was appropriate.[45]
In April 2013, in an interview with the National Review, he said, "I'm an old-fashioned traditionalist. I believe in the historic and religious definition of marriage," and "That being said, I'm not for eliminating contracts between adults. I think there are ways to make the tax code more neutral, so it doesn't mention marriage. Then we don't have to redefine what marriage is; we just don't have marriage in the tax code."[46]
Then this stuff in light of Ferguson and the Michael Brown fiasco:
Police militarization[edit] In a 2014 op-ed in Time magazine, Paul criticized the increased militarization of law enforcement.[47] Paul noted: "When you couple this militarization of law enforcement with an erosion of civil liberties and due process that allows the police to become judge and jury—national security letters, no-knock searches, broad general warrants, pre-conviction forfeiture—we begin to have a very serious problem on our hands." Paul believes that the criminal justice system unjustly impacts African Americans, noting that "Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention." Paul believes the militarization of police has been caused by the US Federal Government through subsidies, equipment, and other incentives as well as the drug war by its creation of a "culture of violence."[48] Both from here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Rand_Paul#Same-sex_marriage
Then there's drug legalization, pandering to Convicts, pandering to the race baiters, and so on and so forth.
I wasn't aware collecting telephone information that is not viewed but by a court order is destroying the bill of rights. If you have a problem with some aspects of the Patriot Act and other bills, then fix them. You don't scrap the whole thing and forbid law enforcement the tools they need to keep tabs on terrorists. Terrorists are not protected by the Constitution.
We have a process in place for such - it’s called a damn search warrant, issued under probable cause, by oath or affirmation, before a PUBLIC magistrate ... Not a g-d “shall-issue for any cockamamie reason, no-holds barred, get whatever you want open ended fishing expedition” issued by a secret judge operating in a secret court. The pre 9/11 problem was the “wall of separation,” set up by Clinton operatives, to prevent the various agencies from sharing information - and some “my turf” ego BS by certain officers within those organizations ...
Moreover we had a spineless philandering predatory sociopath for a president, aka William J. Clinton, who - when handed OBL on a platter - had neither the integrity, the political will, nor the intestinal fortitude to exterminate the Muzzy SOB.
So, please spare me your ignorant bull crap.
* Sec. 215 - the much-feared "assault against librarians" - has not been used even once. Nonetheless, we strongly believe this is a weapon that must remain in the prosecutor's arsenal. There could well be cases, for instance, when it would be critical to learn whether a suspected terrorist is reading books on explosives or the structural design of office buildings, landmark sites, bridges or tunnels. It should also be noted that library records were instrumental in tracking down such murderers as the Zodiac killer and the Unabomber.
* Sec. 218 merely gives federal agents authority to conduct surveillance of cell phones and the Internet to the same extent they can surveil rotary phones. It would be foolhardy to let terrorists use the technology of modern telecommunications without fear of being detected.
The bottom line is that the criticisms by Gore and the other critics are shameful and irresponsible. Of course we gave our government added power in the aftermath of 9/11. These powers are essential to confront a new and deadly threat."
http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=15112
Republicans of today are the Democrats of yesterday it seems.
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