Posted on 07/23/2003 1:13:32 PM PDT by Action-America
VIRGINIA TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/23/03
TAXPAYERS SAY ASHCROFT KO'd ON PATRIOT ACT
The Virginia Taxpayers Association said today "the stunning 309-118 House vote Tuesday passing an appropriations amendment stripping the USA Patriot Act of one of its most tyrannical provisions was a sharp rebuke to Attorney General John Ashcroft."
The House voted to strike a section of the act allowing government agents to secretly search homes of suspects and only inform them later that a warrant had been issued to do so.
Ashcroft had defended the sweeping anti-terrorist act Monday, saying that criticisms of it were based on exaggerations and falsehoods.
"The fact that Ashcroft has consistently backed this unconstitutional act proves that he and the Bush administration have been using the 9/11 World Trade Center disasters to bring in a national police state," the VTA charged.
More than 100 local governments and two states, Alaska and Hawaii, had passed resolutions opposing enforcement of the Patriot Act.
"Tuesday's House vote was a tremendous victory for grassroots citizens, especially since all eight Virginia Republican congress members had voted wrong for passage of the original Patriot Act," the VTA said. "This time Reps. Jo Ann Davis (R-1st), Tom Davis (R-11th), Randy Forbes (R-4th) and Ed Schrock (R-2nd) corrected their earlier vote by voting for the amendment, along with Reps. Rick Boucher (D-9th), Jim Moran (D-8th) and Bobby Scott (D-3rd)."
The amendment to a 37.9 billion bill funding the departments of Commerce, State and Justice was sponsored by Rep. C. L. "Butch" Otter, a conservative Idaho Republican, and also backed by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.), the House's leading opponent of the Patriot Act. When the act was passed in October, 2001, many House members complained they had not had time to read it.
Civil liberties advocates from both ends of the political spectrum speculate that because of the impressive amendment vote, there could be more "fix-Patriot" measures to come.
(END)
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Even if they don't, the vote in the Senate will probably be much closer, so the next question becomes, "Will Dubya veto it, should it get to his desk?"
My guess is "Yes" to both questions. That's because the GOP leadership has been taken over by neocons, who no longer reflect the wishes of main stream Republicans and have no respect at all, for Constitutional guarantees. They, along with their Democrat cohorts, will continue to use the 9-11 attacks as a catchall excuse for disassembling the Constitution, for no better purpose than granting themselves more power.
If he chooses this as the first bill to veto in his presidency, I will barf.
If he chooses this as the first bill to veto in his presidency, I will barf.
Don't worry, it won't get passed the left-wing Senate. I'm Frist and Dasshole will bi-partisanly strip the amendment out.
BTW: Another reason why I hate bi-partisanship.
Unfortunately, I agree.
Another worthwhile area of activity is putting pressure on those House Republicans who wrongly voted against amendment. For example, if even Rep. Tom Davis, who is one of most liberal Virginia Republicans and who has had a House leadership position, changed his earlier vote to vote correctly for the amendment, why didn't "you" as a Republican congressman, "vote for the amendment also?"
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