Don't give up on stopping the Patriot Act!

[Wordie]

Four Republicans made a tentative deal today with Bush on Patriot Act. Please note that the filibuster of Dec. 16 succeeded in the Senate by a vote of 52-47. According to earlier reports, there are now four Republicans that have defected. As the original filibuster vote was eight votes short of the 60 needed to end the filibuster, that means that if all the Senators who originally supported the filibuster were to do so again, the Patriot Act would still be blocked by a margin of 4 votes.

But it is even MORE critical to contact your representatives to urge them to continue to block any version of the Patriot Act that doesn't contain adequate civil rights protections and checks and balances on the executive branch.

Deal Could Break Deadlock in Senate on Patriot Act

By DAVID STOUT
Published: February 9, 2006

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 — Several Senate Republicans who have been fighting for changes in the USA Patriot Act have reached a compromise with the White House on extending the anti-terrorism law, Congressional officials said today.

The Democratic-Republican Senate alliance was big enough to block extension of the act through a filibuster, a parliamentary delaying technique that requires 60 of the 100 Senate votes to break.

In mid-December, the House passed a measure to make 14 of the expiring provisions permanent. But the remaining two provisions have been sticking points in the Senate. One gives the federal government the power to demand access to library records, and the other gives the government the authority to demand records without a judge's approval through a "national security letter," or administrative subpoena.

...But Mr. Feingold said before this afternoon's news conference that he would not be part of the deal about to be announced. "The few minor changes that the White House agreed to do not address the major problems with the Patriot Act that a bipartisan coalition has been trying to fix for the past several years," he said. "I will continue to strongly oppose, and use every option at my disposal to stop, any reauthorization of the Patriot Act that does not protect the rights and freedoms of law-abiding Americans with no connection to terrorism."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/politics/09cnd-patriot.html?hp&ex=1139547600&en=4017e066e7fa44d2&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Another article is here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11257992

And one more here:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/13832038.htm

[wryter2000]

1. Why can't we have our own filibuster?

There are enough Dems to filibuster it without republicans. Are our quislings at it again?

[Wordie]

2. From what I've read, they still have a 4 vote margin, so YEAH!

The Dems should filibuster it. I am not certain why this is being presented as virtually a done deal in some reports. They are reporting on MSNBC that the deal could clear the way for passage. I don't get it.

[Wordie]

3. Kick (new and improved subject line). eom