Senate votes to extend Patriot Act-Democrats retreat from adding new privacy protections to the law

[spanone]

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday to extend for a year key provisions of the nation's counterterrorism surveillance law that are scheduled to expire at the end of the month.

In agreeing to pass the bill, Senate Democrats retreated from adding new privacy protections to the USA Patriot Act.

The Senate approved the bill on a voice vote with no debate. It now goes to the House.

Three important sections of the Patriot Act are to expire at the end of this month.

One authorizes court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. A second allows court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations. A third permits surveillance against a so-

called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen suspected of engaging in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35571223/ns/politics-capitol_hill/


:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[atreides1]

1. More "Change we can believe in"

What a bunch of horse shit!!!

[spanone]

2. i blame the democrats in the senate..pathetic

[Dr.Phool]

18. I think that's "Change we can make believe in".

[bemildred]

3. Well, so we can violate provisions of the Constitution on voice votes. nt

[Tesha]

4. Chains you can believe in! (NT)

[Political Heretic]

19. !

hahaa

[leftstreet]

21. ouch

:applause:

[Better Believe It]

5. A voice vote? So not a single Democratic Senator called for a roll call vote?

Where's our civil libertarians in the Senate?

Not a single Senator had the guts to demand a roll call vote.

Unbelievable.

And we expect the Democrats to take on the Republicans.

Right.

[gateley]

6. Can somebody explain to me WHY? I honestly don't get it. It seems like they

let this happen with so many obvious (to us) no-brainers. :shrug:

[Lorien]

7. Time for a third party that represents traditional Dems

and not Republocrats. :mad:

[Spike from MN]

22. Third party? Hell, we need a second party.

Right now, all we have is two wings of the Corporate Party.

[Political Heretic]

8. I. Fucking. Hate. These. People.

I don't know what else to say.

Every single day I get up to more news of betrayal.

[Solly Mack]

9. K&R

[Bluebear]

10. 'Democrats retreat' - Nothing new here.

[Hannah Bell]

11. This or a Republican admin -- what's the difference? oh, yeah, the "Lily ledbetter act".

[Bluebear]

12. --

:spray:

[invictus]

13. Democrats retreat? More like Democrats betray us again.

[ShortnFiery]

16. Again and again ... Follow the money and you will know what motivates these VILE Players.

[MadHound]

14. So much for that whole "change" thing.

Nader's dime's worth of difference has shrunk to about two cents. Maybe only one.

[City Lights]

15. Fucking cowards.

:nuke:

[Soylent Brice]

17. K&R

[Individualist]

20. Hopeless and changeless

:puke:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. Democrats again prove they're "tough"...... on the citizenry.

Tough on Republicans? Not so much.

[Better Believe It]

24. And Democrats caved in because "some Republican senators objected" !!!!

Associated Press
February 24, 2010

Supporters say extending the law enables authorities to keep important tools in the fight against terrorism. It would also give Democrats some cover from Republican criticism that the Obama administration is soft on terrorism.

Some Democrats, however, had to forfeit new privacy protections they had sought for the law.

"I would have preferred to add oversight and judicial review improvements to any extension of expiring provisions in the USA Patriot Act," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "But I understand some Republican senators objected."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35571223/ns/politics-capito... /

No debate.

No roll call vote.

But rolling over before some Republican objections is acceptable.

Disgusting behavior.

Couldn't just one Democratic Senator have demanded a roll call vote and got it?

[pokerfan]

25. How fucking craven

[Posteritatis]

26. Come on, did anyone really expect anything else? (nt)