The Terrorists Have Won
Guzzo
8,611 Posts
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/21/congress.patriotact.ap/index.htmlHouse votes to extend Patriot ActFriday, July 22, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted Thursday to extend the USA Patriot Act, the nation's main anti-terrorism tool, just hours after televisions in the Capitol beamed images of a new attack in London.As similar legislation worked its way through the Senate, House Republicans generally cast the law as a valuable asset in the war on terror. Most Democrats echoed that support but said they were concerned the law could allow citizens' civil liberties to be infringed.Following more than nine hours of debate, the House approved the measure 257-171. Forty-three Democrats joined 214 Republicans in voting to renew key provisions of Patriot Act that were set to expire at the end of the year.The bulk of the back-and-forth centered on language making permanent 14 of 16 provisions that had four-year sunset provisions under the original law, which Congress passed overwhelmingly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.The bill also proposed 10-year extensions to the two other provisions set to expire on December 31, one allowing roving wiretaps and another allowing searches of library and medical records. They were the focus of most of the controversy as members plowed through the main legislation and 18 amendments."While the Patriot Act and other anti-terrorism initiatives have helped avert additional attacks on our soil, the threat has not receded," said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the committee, said that while "I support the majority of the 166 provisions of the Patriot Act," the extensions could lessen accountability. "Ten years is not a sunset; 10 years is semi-permanent," he said.The Bush administration hailed the vote.
Comments
In a way I think they havn't won and they are just making things worse. By going nuts on us they allow western radical coservitives to stay in power and make life miserable for everyone. But at the same time just laying down and taking it doesn't seem to help much either. Damned if you do and damned if you don't I guess. The real crazy thing is that both sides belive in some kind of crazy holy war and end of times shit and their taking the rest of us with them.
I know I get fed up and want to bust some caps, but it's not going to change a thing. Everyone has these feeling but some of us are just better and putting them in the "don't do" box of our mind garden.
It's really fucked up that the Dem's are just rolling over on this stuff as well. A fucking 10 year extention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's very un-democratic.
then we'll all be heros
yeah
not feelin it.
This is gonna be a combo of every sci-fi movie ever made. I'm too nervous to keep my popcorn down though.