It won in the house and the Senate and went to conference; then its opponents, having lost in both houses, said they would filibuster bringing it out of the conference if more changes were not made. The Senate vote on its opponents' filibuster made House action mute at this point. But, it won majorities in both houses when it was sent to conference. In fact, the vote against the filibuster was a majority, 52, just not a super-majority.
The Patriot Act has meant that investigators need only get a warrant to wire tap the phones of an individual and do not have to get separate warranst for every phone he uses or switches to. The Patriot Act has meant that the business (including "library") records that were available under court approved warrants for orgnized crime investigations are now available with FISA court approved warrants for terrorism investigations.
The result of using the Patriot Act provisions is in the terrorist plans that have been thwarted. If you need some more 9/11s so you have some completed acts to go and arrest someone for, then please go live somehere else. We cannot afford to wait for an act to be committed before we locate and stop the terrorists. If you want to treat this foreign-based threat as mere citizens, going about their constitutionally guaranteed private business, you are simply willing to endanger all of us, just so that you can feel good about your "rights".
You have no rights or liberty when you are dead.
The objecting Senators passed a version in July, and object to changes made in conference, disclosed to them on November 17, 2005, and objected to, with specificity, in writing, on that same day.
The Patriot Act has meant that investigators need only get a warrant to wire tap the phones of an individual and do not have to get separate warranst for every phone he uses or switches to.
18 USC 2518(4) has that same provision, and it does not sunset.
The Patriot Act has meant that the business (including "library") records that were available under court approved warrants for orgnized crime investigations are now available with FISA court approved warrants for terrorism investigations.
The so-called "library" thing refers to a warrantless process of National Security Letters, not to FISA-court approved warrants. Worst case during a sunsent period is that investigators need court permission to start new investigations - existing investigations are unimpared by the sunsetting.
If you want to treat this foreign-based threat as mere citizens, going about their constitutionally guaranteed private business, you are simply willing to endanger all of us, just so that you can feel good about your "rights".
AFAIK, the sunsetting provisions have zero impact on the ability to initiate investigation against foreign based communications.
Certainly, there are differences between the law if the sunsetting provisions do; vs. the act as it stands, vs. the act as amended by the conference committee. But the gaps aren't as stark as the sound bites intimate.