Reply from Senator Mikulski on the Patriot Act

[MissWaverly]

Thank you for contacting me about your
about the USA PATRIOT Act. It's great to
hear from you.

I appreciate hearing of your concerns
about legislation that would enhance or
expand the government's police powers,
especially as many of the PATRIOT Act
surveillance and search powers are scheduled
to expire this year. The terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001 raised questions as to
whether law enforcement officials have
adequate resources to combat terrorism. It
is essential to provide federal agencies
with the resources they need to effectively
protect the public. Yet, I believe we can
strengthen our federal efforts while also
protecting our constitutional rights.

I voted for the USA PATRIOT Act of
2001. I believed that this bill struck an
appropriate balance by giving authorities
the tools they need while still ensuring
that individuals' rights are protected and
guarded against the abuse of these new
powers. However, I also believe we must
continue strong and effective oversight
efforts to ensure that these new powers are
being used appropriately and are not being
abused.

You will be interested to hear that
H.R. 3199, the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism
Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005, has
been passed by both the Senate and the House
of Representatives. While H.R. 3199 does
not expand any of the government's current
PATRIOT Act powers, it does make some of the
surveillance and search powers permanent.
H.R. 3199 is currently pending in a
conference committee, where the differences
between the House's and Senate's versions
will be reconciled. Knowing of your
thoughts has been so helpful to me during
review and debate of this legislation. You
can be sure that I will continue to work to
protect the civil liberties and
constitutional rights of all individuals.

Thanks again for taking the time to get
in touch with me. If there is any way I can
be of assistance to you in the future,
please do not hesitate to contact me.

[electropop]

1. Didn't she used to be a Democrat?

:eyes:

[MissWaverly]

2. I like her but I was disappointed in her views on the Patriot Act

I sent her a letter begging her to vote against Patriot ("2").

[wli]

3. what was the OP a response to?

If you could post the letter you wrote to which that was a reply, I would be much obliged.

[MissWaverly]

5. don't have it, but you can see some issues here

Remember the FBI considers the animals rights people domestic terrorists.

* Stripping even native-born Americans of all of the rights of United States citizenship if they provide support to unpopular organizations labeled as terrorist by our government, even if they support only the lawful activities of such organizations, allowing them to be indefinitely imprisoned in their own country as undocumented aliens. (Section 501)

* Permitting arrests and extraditions of Americans to any foreign country – including those whose governments do not respect the rule of law or human rights – in the absence of a Senate-approved treaty and without allowing an American judge to consider the extraditing country’s legal system or human rights record. (Section 322)

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=11835&c=206

[wli]

8. I'm aware of those things...

It would help more if the original letter the OP was a response to were around.

Anyway, yes, that's some rather serious stuff and a threat to everyone's beliefs everywhere, particularly since designated "terrorist organizations" are really just "hmm, they seem too far to the left" or "they seem to disagree with Bushler's fascist policies."

[MissWaverly]

10. sorry I don't have the original

when you e-mail Senator Mikulski, it's done thru her website and
you don't have a copy (there is no sent copy in MSN, which I didn't realize when I did it, next time I will cut and past a copy onto to my hard drive).

[hootinholler]

4. At one time, yes...

She claims that we sent her to be fiesty (we did, she isn't).

Time to call her staff and give her hell again. Not like it's worked in the past.

-Hoot

[DaveinMD]

11. give me a break

I am sick and tired of people around here deciding who is and who isn't a Democrat. Mikulski has done more for progressive causes in a week than most around here do in a lifetime.

[MissWaverly]

13. see my reply below

This is not whining, passing a bill which allows an American Citizen
to be stripped of his rights and held without trial because he
has been declared a terrorist or affiliated with a terrorist organization even if he only participated in lawful activities of that
organization is a real threat to our freedom in this
country. Has it occurred to you that "Democratic Underground" could
fit into that category.

[hootinholler]

17. I'm not judging Dem or GOP. but I'd like to honestly know

What she has done for progressive causes, because she sure isn't standing up and being heard. I could give a shit about progressive or regressive causes. We are very close to being polarized enough to see things in terms of right and wrong.

Yes! *I* want her to go batshit crazy over the patriot act, over a war based on lies, over the MOST CORRUPT GOVENRMENT EVER! We are better off closing it down while we sort it out now.

At best she's enabled the regieme to continue to back me into my corner. There will come a point when my behind will touch the walls and I will have no alternative direction to go.

-Hoot

[DaveinMD]

19. Senator Mikulski

here's her bio. She has always been a fighter and a liberal Democrat. Anyone questioning her creds as a Democrat just doesn't know her very well.

And the letter sent back was a form letter. People don't go batshit in form letter.

http://mikulski.senate.gov/SenatorMikulski/biography.html

[hootinholler]

20. See #18

[DaveinMD]

23. she has been

outspokenly critical of the administration on many important issues. I've seen it myself.

[mmonk]

6. I sometimes wonder if we are under dictatorship

and on a permanent basis from now on.

[MissWaverly]

7. we need to stand up and say no more

we as a people have to be like Cindy Sheehan, this sadly is the
9th year of the reign of Bush, we have to get our democracy back.

[Wizard777]

9. Give the busy lady a break and documentation on the abuses.

This is one issue on a very full plate. Barbra Mikulski has served Maryland well for too many years for us to suddenly become fair weather friends to her. That's just damned Republican! So don't go there. She is the perfect represenative for, if not the embodiment of Maryland. We are the little happy state with spunk and she is the little smiling lady with a lot of spunk. She has also had some health problems lately that are comming under control and she is still on the go. As you can see she cares about her constituency. That is not a form letter. She has read and responded. That is communication. Which is far more than we get from Bush and some others. I can assure you that she is a 100% dyed blue in the wool Democrat.

BTW, Paul Sarbanes is my Senator. I just like Ms. Mikulski. She is a very nice and helpful lady. She also has a stellar reputation for caring about Marylanders, Maryland, and America. She is one of the good old fashioned public servants that America needs more of desperately.

[MissWaverly]

12. Sorry, can't excuse this, I will never vote for her again

Article III, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution

The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.

Patriot Act “2"

* Stripping even native-born Americans of all of the rights of United States citizenship if they provide support to unpopular organizations labeled as terrorist by our government, even if they support only the lawful activities of such organizations, allowing them to be indefinitely imprisoned in their own country as undocumented aliens. (Section 501)

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller

[hootinholler]

18. "That is not a form letter. She has read and responded."

What utter and complete BullShit! Wake up and smell the coffee! Not a form letter, my ass. When has she spoken? Show me the headlines!

She has been fucking silent! She has interpreted her re-election as a mandate to stay the course instead of speaking out. I voted for her in the past because she was doing a good job, but I voted for her in the last election because her opponent was a chicken hawk corporatista, not from any of her positions. Look at how proud she is of standing up to the administration here, in the press releases from her website. She's more proud of the pork she and Sarbanes have been able to pull into Md.

The things she's done admittedly are apropos in times past. These things would make her an outstanding Senator. Sadly, the times have changed.

When the cabal was awarded power in 2000, her job description changed, and nobody sent her the memo. She (and others) need to stand up and defy this administration. Flat out vigorously fight to deny them every micro-inch of encroachment on our rights and our children's birthright.

Not for instance, to vote for appropriations legislation with the realID included because DOD needs the money!

Not to be duplicious regarding "intelligence failures" when we all know that it wasn't a failure of the intelligence community, but the manufacture of bogus intelligence out of wholecloth by outsiders given comfy offices within the pentagon beholden to AEI and AIPAC!

Ceratinly not to be silent about the patriot act, where is that press release? Where is any press release critical of the administration?

She does not see this as an opportune time. She is sadly mistaken.

Do I sound pissed off? Good.

-Hoot

[MissWaverly]

21. totally agree!

this is one time to pass up the pork and stop enabling this administration, I still fail to understand why George Bush became
president in 2000 without winning the election, why we are still fighting a war based on lies, why our free elections have been replaced
by a mechanical simulation which no longer elects based on choice, now
they are talking about eliminating income taxes and instead implementing
a nationwide regressive sales tax. The poor and middle class will be
totally s****d, the rich will buy elsewhere and pay no taxes whatsover.
No to mention the fact that Cheney is totally obssessed with "nuking"
Iran and the band (i.e. Congress) plays on.

[flpoljunkie]

14. The problem is the Senate bill must be reconciled with the House bill and,

of course, Dubya supports the House bill. Senator Feingold voted for the Senate version this time. It will be interesting to see what happens in the Conference, and if Feingold and other Democrats can support the final bill that comes out of the conference.

[MissWaverly]

15. Please keep us updated

I am really worried about this, it sounds like the return of McCarthyism
combined with GITMO

[flpoljunkie]

16. Googled this up from the American Library Association...

Senate Passes Patriot Act Reauthorization

Minutes before adjourning for its month-long recess July 29, the Senate unanimously passed a USA Patriot Act reauthorization bill (S. 1389) that would make permanent 14 of the 16 provisions set to expire at the end of the year, extend Sections 215 and 206 through 2009, and provide stricter standards for seeking library and bookstore records, the New York Times reported July 30.

The Senate bill, which was approved by unanimous consent without debate, amendments, or roll-call vote, will have to be reconciled with the House version, passed a week earlier, when Congress resumes in September.

http://www.ala.org/al_onlineTemplate.cfm?Section=alonline&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=101357

[salin]

22. It isn't clear how she stands on the current legislation.

Letter is vague. Explains her vote in 2001, and her current awareness of problems and the need to be vigilant per civil liberties. She also explains some differences between house and senate versions of new bill but gives no indication, as I read it, to how she is leaning per her vote. Odd.

[Fire Walk With Me]

24. Mmmm, "expand the government's police powers"...

(Homer Simpson drool effect)

WE know that the government would never misuse power.