Posted on 12/16/2005 9:47:11 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Senate on Friday rejected attempts to reauthorize several provisions of the USA Patriot Act as infringing too much on Americans' privacy, dealing a major defeat to President Bush and Republican leaders.
In a crucial vote Friday morning as Congress raced toward adjournment, the bill's Senate supporters were not able to garner the 60 votes necessary to overcome a threatened filibuster by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and their allies. The final vote was 52-47
Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and GOP congressional leaders had lobbied fiercely to make most of the expiring Patriot Act provisions permanent, and add new safeguards and expiration dates to the two most controversial parts: roving wiretaps and secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries.
Making most of the act's provisions permanent was a priority for both the Bush administration and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill before Congress adjourns for the year.
The House on Wednesday passed a House-Senate compromise bill to renew the Act that supporters say added significant safeguards to the law.
But the law's critics, such as Feingold and Craig, say they don't want the Patriot Act to expire — they just want enough time to improve the bill to the point where it doesn't infringe on American liberties. Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have said they won't accept a short-term extension of the law.
"In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without these vital tools for a single moment," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said earlier today before the Senate vote.
Congress passed the Patriot Act overwhelmingly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The law expanded the government's surveillance and prosecutorial powers against suspected terrorists, their associates and financiers.
The bill's opponents say the original act was rushed into law, and Congress should take more time now to make sure the rights of innocent Americans are safeguarded before making most of the expiring provisions permanent.
They say the current Patriot Act gives government too much power to investigate people's private lives.
Is there any liberty that you wouldn't give up in the name of safety?
What's your standard? Is everything a lie until proven true except for those who agree with you? Are we to believe that such a disgusting, arrogant statement by a political leader would not be denied if it was falsely quoted by the media?
""Oh yes, the "you too" response. Makes no sense in this case, but hey.""
Makes plenty of sense. And I didn't mean "too".
It is interesting.
Actually, since the morning of 9/11 there hasn't been any major terrorist attacks on our soil.
A representative told her that Rubik's Cube patent had expired, and the Magic Cube did not infringe on the rival toy's trademark.
This not being in quotes, I can attribute it to bad reporting with a paraphrase. Which is it, patent or trademark? The trademark hasn't expired, so it must be the patent.
"One of the things that our agency's responsible for doing is protecting the integrity of the economy and our nation's financial systems and obviously trademark infringement does have significant economic implications"
But this is a quote. How does "Magic Cube" infringe on the trademark "Rubik's Cube"? That's different enough to warrant a court case over it, especially since the Rubik's Cube trademark specifically makes no claim on the word "Cube" except for as it appears in their artwork. A Customs IP enforcement official didn't know, and I looked it up (and the expired patent) in under a minute? And a store got raided over this? This is sad.
An anti-torture bill written so badly that it effectively defines boot camp training as torture, and gives captured terrorists the right to sue for not being treated nicely.
Instead of a hypothetical situation that will never happen, how about if YOU answer a different question:
What liberties have you been asked to give up? And how has this burdened your life since 9/11?
If someone tells me I have to be searched before boarding a plane, subway, bus, etc. and in exchange, the probability of a bomb going off and killing dozens or hundreds of Americans goes down - to me, that's a no brainer.
you can say that I don't care about liberty. That's fine. I know what I believe. And I believe that if I have to trade my convenience in order to save lives, it's a trade-off I'm willing to make.
So, if there comes a time when you are arrested for "hate speech" because of comments you made in a private conversation, that is just fine right? (and yes this is a massive exaggeration).
Why do you think that there hasn't been any attacks since September 11?
If the intent is terror amongst the civilian population you certainly don't need a huge conspiracy and technology, a lot of manpower, a lot of explosive or even a lot of planning. There are a thousand different things that could be done a 1 to 4 men.
Why hasn't anything happened? You don't really believe the it had anything to do with the PATRIOT Act, do you?
Use of the Patriot Act in absolutely non-terrorist cases is nothing new. They've been doing it from the beginning. Remember, 9/11 wasn't the reason for the Act -- it was the excuse to get it passed.
The sad part of this one is that they didn't need the Act to get this guy, but I guess they just liked the shortcuts the Act offers.
That's a very good question, as there seem to be a lot of big-government lovers here on FR right now.
Gee. I'm really sure that provision was intended for me and not for a Muslim that threatens the lives of Americans or a radical Muslim cleric that announces to his followers they must blow themselves up on crowded buses. No, no. I'm sure they had ME in mind when they wrote the law.
If I engage in the type of hate speech that threatens the safety of another American, the yes. They should arrest me. Like I said, I don't engage in criminal behavior. Threatening someone's life is criminal behavior.
Be advised that if you are arguing in favor of the Patriot Act, this is not a really good argument to use with us Freepers who are skeptical about it.
There also haven't been any more since I moved back to the U.S. not long after 9/11. Conclusion, my presence here is the reason you are all safe.
You can thank me any way you want. Donations towards my "buy a new sports car" fund graciously accepted.
Small difference - when you left, there was no Patriot Act.
The usual rule is multiple verifiable sources. If the same story appears in several places with several sources and I can trace the origins, then it is probably true. I've never been to Paris and have never confirmed personally that the Eiffel Tower actually exists, but I can find multiple sources that tell me that, that are verifiable. The odds of it being true are very very high.
On the other hand there is lots of lunacy out there that does not deserve to be replied to. Has any President ever denied that alien abductions are taking place? Has the White House spokesman ever denied that chem trails spray mind-control chemicals on the US population? Has the Air Force denied that they have a secret moon base on the far side of the moon? By your standard you have to accept those as fact since they haven't been officially denied.
If you really want an offical denial of the quote, call the White House (202-456-1414) and ask them about it. They will then deny it. Will that satisfy you?
This not being in quotes, I can attribute it to bad reporting with a paraphrase. Which is it, patent or trademark? The trademark hasn't expired, so it must be the patent.
There is nothing whatsoever wrong with the reporting. This sentence is perfectly clear -- the representative stated that the patent had expired and the trademark was not infringed.
The Act isn't the reason, it's me. If you don't agree, stupid lawsuits and whacked liberal ideologies are up too since I left. Isn't that the Act's fault?
Oh. Well, then thank you.
Thank goodness - a rational voice for once. Keep up the good work!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.