Congress Extends Patriot Act Five Weeks

[rsmith6621]

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Congress sent
President Bush a second five-week extension of the Patriot Act as Senate negotiators worked to close a deal with the White House on renewing the antiterrorism law with some new civil liberties protections.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060203/ap_on_go_co/patriot_act



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I was hoping this would expire...

[babylonsister]

1. I'm just glad it wasn't extended longer; it's being fought. That's a

good thing. :thumbsup:

[fooj]

2. We've got five weeks then!

:patriot:

[Wordie]

4. Another article said many of the details were just about worked out.

Only Feingold voted "No" this time.

Congress Extends Patriot Act Five Weeks
Congress Extends Patriot Act Five Weeks for Second Time on Senate Vote of 95-1

By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press Writer

...The Senate voted 95-1 Thursday night to extend the current law unchanged through March 10 and give negotiators more time to reach a deal. Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., a longtime opponent of the Patriot Act, cast the sole vote against the extension. The House passed it Wednesday.

Several Republican and Democratic officials involved in negotiations said that agreements had been reached on several issues but that others needed more time.

Earlier in the week, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, one of the negotiators who helped block the act's renewal last year, told reporters almost all of his concerns had been worked out with the White House.

He and Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., want parts of the act to be rewritten in several areas, including giving banks, libraries and Internet service providers the right to appeal when the FBI seeks financial and other records of their customers and clients.

...The law makes it easier for federal agents to gather and share information in terrorism investigations, install wiretaps and conduct secret searches of households and businesses. At issue are 16 provisions that Congress wanted reviewed and renewed by the end of last year.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1574592

I'm glad to hear that there are now some additional protections for libraries, etc., but I don't know enough about the other specific provisions that remain. I think I'll try to find out what Feingold's remaining objections are.

Do you know more about it, fooj?

[dusty64]

5. What about the new

provision forming a federal "police" force that can arrest anyone anywhere for "offenses" against the government?

[Wordie]

6. You know, I need to re-inform myself about what's really going on.

I don't really understand why, if they blocked the Patriot Act because of civil liberties concerns, they would add any new provisions like the one you mention. Do you have a link for anything that they've added, since it was blocked, or is that provision something that was in the House bill from before it was blocked, that they are still trying to put in there. (The Senate version was better on civil liberties.)

[pinniped]

3. The cabal has five more weeks to plan something.

:scared:

[CatholicEdHead]

7. This puts it into March

And all the rumors are an Iran attack around then. Who knows what will come through then.