House Sends Extension of Patriot Act to Obama

[tekisui]

Source: MSNBC

WASHINGTON - Key provisions of the nation's primary counterterrorism law would be extended for a year under a bill passed by the House Thursday evening after Democrats retreated from adding new privacy protections.

The House voted 315 to 97 to extend the USA Patriot Act, sending the bill to President Barack Obama. Without the bill, the provisions would expire Sunday.

The Senate approved the extension Wednesday. The privacy protections were cast aside when Senate Democrats lacked the necessary 60-vote supermajority to pass them. Thrown away were restrictions and greater scrutiny on the government's authority to spy on Americans and seize their records.

The Democratic retreat is a political victory for Republicans and a major disappointment for Democrats and their liberal allies who believe the Patriot Act fails to protect privacy and gives the government too much authority to spy on Americans and seize their property.

The three sections of the Patriot act that would stay in force:

—Authorize court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones.

—Allow court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations.

—Permit surveillance against a so-called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen engaged in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group.

more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35592245/ns/politics/

[midnight]

1. End this stupid war on Americans...

[Hippo_Tron]

2. I don't see why the first two are a problem

Court approved I assume means you need a warrant and is thus consistent with the fourth amendment. The third one I don't really understand, to be honest.

[tekisui]

3. Kucinich jeers: Congress is 'complicit' in violating Americans' constitutional rights

With no modification and little debate, Democrats send Patriot Act extension to Obama

In the wake of congressional Democrats' reauthorization and extension of the USA Patriot Act, few elected Democrats have been as vocal about the post-9/11 security measures as they were during the Bush administration.

Leave it to stalwart House progressive Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) to raise a rallying cry against what he called America's love of its fears.

“This legislation extends three problematic provisions of the PATRIOT Act and, at the same time, leaves some of the most egregious provisions in place, absent any meaningful reform and debate," he declared in a media advisory.

The specific provisions he cited are the Patriot Act's powers to conduct roving wiretaps, conduct surveillance of people not thought to have any association with terrorism and tap into your personal records, such as library accounts.

more: http://rawstory.com/2010/02/modification-debate-democrats-send-patriot-act-extension-obama/

[slipslidingaway]

4. knr - issues that had been a problem, now get a pass :( thanks. n/t

[FlyByNight]

5. "Spreading democracy"...

...while burying it here.

Yet again, more Dem capitulation regarding our rights. Couple this abomination with now unlimited corporate election funding (to be fair, unions can too but there is no equivalence) and I wonder why Congress even listens to us anymore.

This vulgar cowardice and complicity is sickening. I wonder how many of them are lobbied by the prison-industrial complex?

Unitary executive, anyone?

:mad: