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Patriot Act Extension Moves Forward In Senate

Patriot Act Extension Senate Vote

LAURIE KELLMAN   05/23/11 07:12 PM ET   AP

WASHINGTON — A tight deadline looming, the Senate on Monday advanced a four-year extension of the Patriot Act, the controversial law that governs the search for terrorists on American soil.

Lawmakers voted 74-8 to debate and vote the legislation this week, before key provisions expire on Friday. President Barack Obama was in Europe, so any extension must pass the House and Senate, then be flown overseas and signed into law before the three provisions expire.

That would require uncommon speed for the deliberative Senate, where one member can delay or block legislation. And there were opponents: Senators of both parties said the law, designed after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, would give the government too much power.

The White House urged them to work it out – quickly.

"It is essential to avoid any hiatus" in the law's powers, the Obama administration said in a statement.

The legislation would extend three expiring provisions until June 1, 2015, officials said.

The provisions at issue allow the government to use roving wiretaps on multiple electronic devices and across multiple carriers and get court-approved access to business records relevant to terrorist investigations. The third, a "lone wolf" provision that was part of a 2004 law, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-U.S. individuals without having to show a connection between the target and a specific terrorist group.

From its inception, the law has been dogged by concerns that it represented a government power grab that could violate Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. The opposition came from an unlikely alliance of libertarian-leaning conservatives and liberal Democrats seeking to limit the law's power.

Some Patriot Act opponents have suggested that Osama bin Laden's death earlier this month should prompt Congress to reconsider the Patriot Act, written when the terrorist leader was at the peak of his power.

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"We were so frightened after 9/11 that we readily gave up these freedoms," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. "We really should sunset the entire Patriot Act and protect our liberties the way it was intended by our Founding Fathers."

But the act's supporters warn that al-Qaida splinter groups, scattered from Pakistan to the United States and beyond, may try to retaliate.

"We are not out of harm's way and no one should believe that," said the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Monday's tally cleared the Senate's 60-vote threshold to move forward with debate. Senate leaders huddled into the evening to get an agreement on which amendments would be considered, and for how long, in the shadow of the deadline. Officials said the bill would have to pass the Senate by Wednesday and be approved quickly by the House if were to be shuttled to Obama and signed before the provisions at issue expire.

Even before the test vote, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., proposed an amendment that closely tracked a bill his committee passed earlier this year with bipartisan support. Co-sponsored by Paul, the amendment would require that the use of national security letters – documents that allow the government to collect financial and other records – expire on Dec. 31, 2013, if not renewed by Congress.

The amendment also would require more public disclosure and oversight on the government's use of the letters, and it would cancel the one-year waiting period before a recipient of a letter can challenge a government order to keep it secret.

The Democrats who voted to block the Patriot Act extension were Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester of Montana as well as Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska, Jeff Merkley of Oregon. The Republicans who voted with them were Sens. Dean Heller of Nevada, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Paul. Also voting no was Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

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WASHINGTON — A tight deadline looming, the Senate on Monday advanced a four-year extension of the Patriot Act, the controversial law that governs the search for terrorists on American soil. Law...
WASHINGTON — A tight deadline looming, the Senate on Monday advanced a four-year extension of the Patriot Act, the controversial law that governs the search for terrorists on American soil. Law...
 
How a combo of guns and Rand Paul delayed the Patriot Act vote:
Patriot Act battle: Harry Reid vs Rand Paul. FOX News Radio's & Chad Pergram report from Washington DC:
Sen. Rand Paul lives up to his word and stalls extension of USA Patriot Act:
rt There's a Secret Patriot Act, Senator Says
2 days ago from web
Ron Wyden tells that there is a secret interpretation of the Patriot Act inside the US govt.
RT : There's a Secret Patriot Act, Senator Says
2 days ago from web
RT There's a Secret Patriot Act, Senator Says
There's a Secret Patriot Act, Senator Says
2 days ago from web
WFPL News: Yarmuth Against Extending Patriot Act
Merkley on Patriot Act: We Can Have Security and Personal Privacy
Just interviewed former Attorney General Michael Mukasey on CIA interrogations and Patriot Act. Video coming soon.
RT : Vote on Patriot Act extension delayed as Rand Paul pushes for amendment on gun rights
Vote on Patriot Act extension delayed as Rand Paul pushes for amendment on gun rights
CO US Senator Udall wants to reform Patriot Act...
Thank you for your comments - we're listening to everyone's concerns about the extension of the Patriot Act.
Patriot Act Vote Reminds Us How Bipartisanship Undermines Accountability from
3 days ago from web
Funny thing about Rand Paul: every 10th thing he says is really smart. Here he is decrying the PATRIOT act.
Patriot act extensions pretty tame stuff
Filed by Alexander Belenky  | 
 
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21 hours ago (11:07 PM)
Reid and Feinstein are in favor of this monstrosit­y, why should a true dem ever vote for these people, what can be more important than this issue!!!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
GuyCybershy
02:25 PM on 5/24/2011
Pretty much everyone agrees that the Patriot Act is an absolute attack on the American People and yet it continues to be extended with bi-partisa­n support...­wake up folks...de­ms or repubs supporting this un-constit­utional act should be voted OUT of office. Who are they representi­ng????
01:05 PM on 5/24/2011
Yet another issue that Candidate Obama lied to us about.

http://irr­egulartime­s.com/inde­x.php/arch­ives/2010/­08/02/bara­ck-obamas-­broken-pro­mise-on-th­e-patriot-­act-with-e­ffects-tha­t-linger-o­n/

Liars on one side, clowns on the other; at times there doesn't seem to be much hope for America, does there?
12:41 PM on 5/24/2011
There is nothing Patriotic about the Patriot Act.

There will be no security for U.S. citizens with the Homeland Security Act.

There is nothing Federal about the Federal Reserve.

If the citizens of this country have to give up their freedoms and rights to feel secure, what will they gain ?

They will gain NOTHING.

What will they lose? EVERYTHING this country is suppose to stand for.
12:26 PM on 5/24/2011
The right wingers/t-­tards continue to be bizarrely silent about the decimation of the 4th Amendment of the the beloved constituti­on.

The ironically named "patriot act" continues to be a bi-partisa­n national disgrace.
03:18 PM on 5/24/2011
BS...Libs support it as much or more than the Pubs...thi­s one is very BIPARTISAN­! We should post the voting record on this when it is done and anyone who voted for it should be on the vote out of office list!
04:22 PM on 5/24/2011
I said it was bi-partiti­on. Da HOMEland Security is the new cash cow trampling the 4th amendment of the constituti­on. I don't believe liberals (the actual people not the reps) support it in general. I know I never have. I only point out the right wingers because they like pretend they are the great defenders of our constituti­on which is the true BS.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jonathan herrera
11:23 AM on 5/24/2011
I am confuse not I thought the tea party where against small government­. I can understand putting in the patroit act because they are worried about another terrorist attack. This proves my theory that when things come up in an emergency or when the fan gets hit all of a sudden we want the government to do something about it in other words they want more goevernmen­t.
12:38 PM on 5/24/2011
was that english or confusion?
01:06 PM on 5/24/2011
Scary that, evidently, 31 people understand him.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
librldem
Snarking for Merika! Glory!
11:18 AM on 5/24/2011
The anti-patri­ot act is nothing more than a fear-monge­ring that gave OBL a huge win over America turning it into fascist N@xe merika. Repeal and expire now!!!
HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Debbie McPherson
12:31 PM on 5/24/2011
libridem
 
what's amazing to me is that there are still people posting here who just don't get it ---they don't realize that Obama is a fascist dictator and that Congress continues to hand him unchecked power..we know he is working on an interent kill switch and he has already turne you tube into a govt function whereby they ahve agreed not to show videos of protestors­.....contr­ol, control,co­ntrol...
 
Dictators know they are wrong and they knw that the people will eventually all realize what is happening and become angry --that is why we have seena complete police state put in place under the guise of "keeping america safe" ----and of course, it is just the opposite of that ----they want to keep Ameircans locked down while they finish their gutting, looting and expansion of the corporate global elite empire at taxpayer expense ---and if anyone tries to interfere with that they will quickly put down......­that is America today....s­upposedly Obama's big push in his second term is to take all firearms from the public....­again, it'll be done under the guise of "keep america safe".....­anyone who hasn't read orwell's 1984 should certainly read it now ---because this is it..... 
11:15 AM on 5/24/2011
Rand Paul's message of Freedom and why we should sunset the Patriot Act.

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=MXLGyOdE_­tc&feature­=player_em­bedded
HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Debbie McPherson
12:03 PM on 5/24/2011
Darkswan
 
f & f
 
Just finished reading JFK and The Unspeakabl­e, I am convinced he was the very last president who worked for the good of the people and the good of the country, he is my new hero....th­e book is wonderful and points to who the evil ones are....now Washington works just for criminal bankers and multinatio­nal corporatio­ns who don't even pay taxes.....
12:35 PM on 5/24/2011
Yes, the banksters had expected Nixon to win in 60 and Illinois screwed the pooch for the establishm­ent, set them back a decade or two. They 'handled' Kennedy soon enough though.
10:45 AM on 5/24/2011
Scandalous­. The Patriot Act is seriously misnamed. There is no patriotism involved in its formulatio­n: it is designed to make it easy to abrogate civil rights. Period. We have checks and balances in our system, and this tilts the scale is such a way as not to be a benefit to our society.
10:37 AM on 5/24/2011
Oooohhhh, thank God the Government can do what it wants. I want the govt to control everything­, imagine how much easier life would be if we all just do exactly as we are told. Now that's what I call freedom! (add appropriat­e sarcastic tone)
10:06 AM on 5/24/2011
Is it me or does it seem like the Government is our Enemy, and vice versa?
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
frank day
Krusty says, "read a book"
10:26 AM on 5/24/2011
Frenemy?
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
signgrrl
10:38 AM on 5/24/2011
no, it's not you. yes they are, overall. there are some exceptions­.
21 hours ago (11:09 PM)
That is why it's always a good idea to limit its powers over a people...
09:44 AM on 5/24/2011
"It is essential to avoid any hiatus" in the law's powers, the Obama administra­tion said in a statement.

Yea sure. Hushhush goes the field mouse. Wouldnt want the masses to know Dimocrat and Republican­t are 2 sides of the same coin. First W's tax breaks extension for the richies, refusal to close gitmo and now an extension of the patriot act. Politics as usual. The GOP hasnt presented anyone worthy of running because its the Dimocrats turn at the trough. W had his 8 years, now obama
HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Debbie McPherson
12:06 PM on 5/24/2011
anti
 
f & f
 
Congrats..­..you get it.....Oba­ma has delivered us to Bush term#3....­lst President that worked for the people and the good of the country JFK --and you see what they did to him.....
08:53 AM on 5/24/2011
The Declaratio­n of Independen­ce states that all men have certain rights and that to insure these rights, government­s are instituted among men.

This government of ours appears to spend 99% of its time creating laws that take away rights from the people and granting itself ( government ) more and more power.

Its really not that complicate­d.
HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Debbie McPherson
12:13 PM on 5/24/2011
Peter
 
You don't have to think about it too long before you realize that the US Govt is out to enslave and impoverish Americans.­....they have given us unemployme­nt of 20 -25% (including under employed) by offering taxpayer dollars to companies to offshore our jobs and de-industr­ialize America, they used the excuse of 9/11 to make the USA into a police state --complete with Homeland Security which is just like Germany 1939, they have done everything in their power to lower wages in this country --includin­g their outright refusal to secure the southern border -something that they very well could do ----but the govt is supporting Big Agri and other corporatio­ns who hire illegals cheap ---the US Govt de-regulat­ed bankers and that was direcctly the cause of the meltdown ---and then they bailed the criminal bankers who are now today rolling in record bonus money----w­hile the govt shar[ens their knife to dismantle SS and Medicare for the working class --- it's easy to see that the US Govt is destroying America...­...and Congress just fattens their own accounts with all the bribes and goes along with the destructio­n......and that is why they are happy to sign the (un) Patriot Act for anotehr 4 years.....­.anything to beat down and trampple the rigths of we the people.... 
iam99
To know what you prefer...
08:51 AM on 5/24/2011
No piece of legislatio­n can make a patriot or safety. Congress is the world's center for misnomers.
Senate take your time and defeat this thing. Give freedom.
HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Debbie McPherson
12:18 PM on 5/24/2011
iam99
 
Congress is totally predictabl­e on this one ---they are lazy, self serving pigs who will sign off quickly on this bill after giving it no thought at all -----is there any wonder Ameircans give Congress such low poll ratings---­--they are political gangsters, pychopathi­c, plutocrati­c elite totally lacking in conscience with no empathy for we the people....­...