Senators Threaten to Hold Up Patriot Act (Bipartisan effort)

[meganmonkey]

WASHINGTON (AP) - A bipartisan group of senators told congressional leaders Thursday they will try to block reauthorization of the Patriot Act to protest the elimination Senate-mandated protections against ``unnecessary and intrusive government surveillance'' in a House-Senate compromise.

``If further changes are not made, we will work to stop this bill from becoming law,'' GOP Sens. Larry Craig, John Sununu and Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin, Russ Feingold and Ken Salazar said in a letter to the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees.

This came a day after House-Senate negotiators crafted a tentative compromise to make most provisions of the existing law permanent, and set new seven-year sunsets for rules on wiretapping, obtaining business records under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and new standards for monitoring ``lone wolf'' terrorists who may be operating independent of a foreign agent or power.

Congress is facing two deadlines: lawmakers want to leave before the end of the week for Thanksgiving, and more than a dozen provisions of the Patriot Act expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn't renew them.

The Republican-controlled House hopes to approve the compromise on Friday, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., told senators Thursday they will have to address the legislation ``before we leave.''


http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5422126,00.html

[Lochloosa]

1. Amazing what poll numbers in the 30's will do for your

legislative agenda....:rofl:

[Peter Frank]

2. Well said...

It's about time the power brokers actually listen to the people who elected them; instead of turning their backs on their campaign promises.

[Kralizec]

18. It seems so!

I feel so refreshed hearing about this!!

The Patriot Act had been (still is) a huge cloud over me, because of the effects it had on individual rights and privacy.

Thank goodness!

[Solly Mack]

37. Snap!

[Blue_In_AK]

3. LISA??? She's doing something RIGHT?

Good for you, Ms. Murkowski. This is something I can support you on.

[hopein08]

4. Sununu & Murkowski????

I can see where Craig's constituents would be for his action because of the militias and NRA lovers in Idaho but what are Sununu and Murkowski doing it for? Not out of it being the right thing to do, I cynically presume.

But if Feingold and Durbin are supporting it, I'm competely behind it.

[Ian David]

5. The racist Republicans will say Sununu is doing it because he's an Arab

[hopein08]

20. Is he really an Arab?

or am I just being naive and missing the "racist" clue in what you said?

It really could be either! Sorry if this was a "duh!" moment on my part.

[DBoon]

21. I think he is Lebanese

and if he has relatives recently from 'the old country", they have probably been subject to official "interest"

[hopein08]

23. According to wikipedia, he's Christian Lebanese heritage...

so just about everybody was right!

[Blue_In_AK]

9. I would like to think that Lisa Murkowski is reflecting

most Alaskans' fanaticism about protecting their privacy. It may not be widely known, but Alaska's state constitution has one of the most robust privacy clauses of any constitution in the country. The P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act is particularly antithetical to privacy. My guess is this is a large part of her motivation.

[Cha]

12. Thanks for that explanation

and insight into Alaska's constitution, Blue.

[roguevalley]

32. Don Young said he voted for it last time and didn't even read it and

would take back the vote if he could. I am sure he is telling Princess Royale For All Of Alaska, Lisa, what to do.

[hopein08]

33. While that's a good thing, it's a pretty lame excuse...

But I have always wondered what these people actually know about what they are voting are. I guess I have my answer. They don't know much.

But as long as they're against it, I'll go with it.

[skooooo]

6. U.S. Senators Say Leaders Lack Votes for Accord on Patriot Act

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a3bpMEDyKMXs&refer=home

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. senators said Republican congressional leaders may not have the support to pass a renewal of the USA Patriot Act, which opponents say doesn't check the government's authority to search business records.

The tentative agreement Republican leaders reached yesterday to make permanent most parts of the law, which is set to expire at the end of this year, is much weaker than the version the Senate approved unanimously earlier this year, Senator John Sununu said.

[BlueInPhilly]

7. Who's up for re-election next year?

It will be interesting to calculate statistical correlation between reelection and senate votes. :hippie:

And this I wish for: GET RID OF RICK F*CKING SANTORUM!!!

[meganmonkey]

8. Welcome to DU, BlueInPhilly!

Hope you like it here!

:toast:

Yes, it is interesting what the prospects of re-election can do to a politician :)

[joanski0]

16. We will get rid of Santorum.

I will be definitely voting against that scum.

joanski0 in PA

[drm604]

19. Welcome

I live in the Philly suburbs and work downtown. We have to get rid of Santorum!

[BlueInPhilly]

29. Have You Ever Contacted Santorum's Office?

I did about gay marriage and he had the audacity to send me his "gay is bad" memo. What a bleeping moron! I still email his office every so often just to ask him about a stance I know he opposes - he is my senator after all - but he stopped sending me stuff. }(

I did call my rep's office - Allyson Schwartz - about Able Danger, and they're pretty cool.

[shoelace414]

11. Screw the people.. Corporations need privacy!

[electropop]

13. There is at least one corporate group opposing the Patriot Act.

You hit it on the head. In this case, we have strange bedfellows.

[Sapphire Blue]

10. Call your Sens & Rep - Capitol toll-free number: 1-800-426-8073

Oppose the PATRIOT Act Reauthorization bill!

[Blue_In_AK]

17. I sent a very supportive e-mail to L. Murkowski

as soon as I saw this thread. She needs all the encouragement she can get. I'll be curious to see how Uncle Ted goes on this one.

[Wordie]

14. K&R...thank you, congresspeople, for a principled and responsible stand

against this threat to our civil rights!

I pray this move will be successful!

[slay]

15. "compromise to make most provisions of the existing law permanent"

That's the part that should really scare people - that the "big brother" tactics of the so called "patriot act" will be made PERMANENT thanks to Bush exploiting 9/11 AGAIN! Adios freedom, hello 1984. Remind me again how we become more free by giving up our freedoms and right to privacy? :scared:

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. W looks pissed

This is the pic Yahoo has up with the story. He has that prefect little pissy face that he likes to put on.

[deminks]

24. Senators Threaten to Hold Up Patriot Act

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

WASHINGTON - Legislation reauthorizing the Patriot Act stalled Thursday as lawmakers worked to satisfy senators upset by the elimination of some civil liberties protections.

But senators on the negotiating committee have yet to agree to the compromise, aware that six Republicans and Democrats are threatening to block the final version of the bill when it comes to the full Senate.

The senators are Republicans Larry Craig of Idaho, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Ken Salazar of Colorado.

They complained that the House-Senate compromise would take back some civil liberty protections on which senators had agreed. They include changing a Senate requirement that the government inform targets of a "sneak and peek" search warrant within seven days to 30 days.

[MessiahRp]

25. Once again, Feingold is on the right side of an issue...

If we drop off a few confirmation votes, he's been the best Senator of our generation.

Rp

[twaddler01]

31. I agree

So far so good as long as I've known him! :D

[joeybee12]

26. Kind of scary that there are only 3 Dems doing this....

...surprised (happily) that Ken Salazar is on the right side of this issue.

[SledDriver]

27. SHUT IT DOWN!!!

:rant:

[Exiled in America]

30. Shut it down for the last time!

[dbeach]

28. patsy act whadda rip-off

it will catch few terrists BUT sure will hassle anybody who speaks out against the DC pols

bushco has a 10,000 list of dissidents

[Demeter]

34. Better Late Than Never

Of course, now that all the "alarmists" dire prophecies have come true, the compromisers are turning into the wind. Are there no independent, thinking types left in government?

Edit: SUNUNU is backing changes? Reagan's lap dog? A Miracle!

[williesgirl]

35. They should cancel the ENTIRE act and start all over with a sense of

calm versus reaction to 9/11. Sooooo many parts of it are total infringement on our rights as Americans.

[W stands for Wacko]

36. Dear Santa: Can I have my Freedom and Privacy restored for Christmas?

P.S. Watch out for the Scrooge and the Grinch, they hang out at the WH and they might have declared "The Ghost of Christmas Past" an enemy combatant and sent him to a CIA secret "black" Romanian torture prison that they claim doesn't really exist and, therefore, proves that the US doesn't allow torture.

[meganmonkey]

38. LOL - Welcome to DU, Wacko!

:toast: