(Public Domain press Release so am including the whole sttement.)
http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=48073/7/2006, For Immediate Release:
Sanders to Vote against Republican Patriot Act Bill that Undermines Americans’ Basic Constitutional Rights
Washington D.C.—Congressman Bernie Sanders today will vote against a Republican sponsored bill finalizing the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act. Opposed by a coalition of conservative and progressive Representatives, the reauthorization bill does virtually nothing to reform a host of provisions that unnecessarily infringe on Americans’ constitutional rights. The vote on the measure is expected to take place sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. this evening.
Sanders said, “The U.S. government must be vigilant in protecting the American people from terrorist attacks, but we can do that without undermining the constitutional rights which make us a free country. Americans across the nation have called on Congress to substantially reform the Patriot Act in order to restore vital protections to our civil liberties. Unfortunately, this bill does not address the core flaws in the Patriot Act that undermine our basic constitutional rights.
“In June of 2005, with a strong bipartisan vote, the House supported an amendment that I offered which would exempt libraries and bookstores from Section 215. Unfortunately, the Republican Leadership ignored that vote and the will of Congress and failed to include that language into the final bill. That amendment would have prevented the federal government from accessing the reading records of Americans in both libraries and bookstores without a traditional search warrant and without evidence that the individual being investigated was involved in terrorism.
“This reauthorization bill permits the government to obtain the library, medical and other sensitive business records of citizens without demonstrating that they have some link to suspected terrorists—essentially allowing the government to conduct fishing expeditions on American citizens.
We must do everything we can to fight terrorism in this country but it is critical that we do this without undermining the basic constitutional rights that make us a free country. It is incomprehensible that the same Administration that is willing to allow a foreign country which has had ties with Osama bin Laden to potentially operate our ports is, at the same time, arguing that they are justified in stripping away the constitutional rights of all American citizens in the name of security.”
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