Lawmakers reach deal on Patriot Act

[rick_reno]

I hope they get busy so Jorge can sign this important piece of legislation. It's the thin line between us and terrorists destroying our Nation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10382397/from/RS.5/

WASHINGTON - House and Senate negotiators on Thursday reached an agreement to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, the government’s premier anti-terrorism law, before its major provisions expire at the end of the month, government aides said.

The agreement would extend for now two of the Patriot Act’s most controversial provisions — authorizing roving wiretaps and permitting secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and other organizations, such as libraries. Those two provisions would expire in four years under the deal.

The Republican-controlled House had been pushing for those provisions to stay in effect as long as a decade, but negotiators decided to go with the GOP-controlled Senate’s suggestion. Republican and Democratic Senate aides confirmed the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not yet been made.

 

[armoredman]

Fire the traitors.

 

[neoncowboy]

It's the thin line between us and terrorists destroying our Nation.

I really hope you are joking.

 

[CentralTexas]

Wow!

"It's the thin line between us and terrorists destroying our Nation"

So you mean the Patriot Act is protecting us from the present administration and Congress?
CT

 

[cloudkiller]

"It's the thin line between us and terrorists destroying our Nation"

In fact, the line is so thin that the Patriot Act provisions can't tell the difference...

 

[bruss01]

Amen, brother. The line is so thin right now between terrorists and "anyone we don't like" and "anyone we think we might not like, if we only knew more about each and every one of their private activities" that it's terrifying.

Some people say "Well, if you've got nothing to hide..."

Ask those same people if they close the bathroom door when they're taking a dump. Why? What are you doing in there that is so secret it has to be hidden? What have you got to hide? Building a bomb? Shooting kiddie p0rn? No. Just enjoying some blessed privacy. Privacy should not be a "privilege" but an inalienable right, whether it's 5 minutes to do our bathroom business, or a list of the books we've bought or checked out, the guns we own, the websites we've visited, or the phone calls we make to friends and loved ones.

Anyone who thinks a Goliath such as our government has become can be entrusted with such a power and further trusted not to abuse it (whether now or eventually) doesn't know very much about the history of such abuse enablements both here and around the world. How long will it be before simply asserting that one has a right to privacy will become a "suspicious activity" that will become grounds for round-the-clock monitoring of one's activities, transactions and communications?

 

[R.H. Lee]

Oh, good, the spinelessrepublicans sold us out again. The Democrats get the benefit of this when they take over the Whitehouse and Congress in 2008.

 

[cropcirclewalker]

I think I will start up a "Write in Goldstien" presidential campaign.

That would put a stop to the PAII.