PATRIOT Act Extension Scheme Sells out Constitution

[Better Believe It]

PATRIOT Act Extension Scheme Sells out Constitution
by John Nichols
May 23, 2011

U.S. House and Senate leaders have reached a bipartisan backroom deal to push for approval of a four-year extension of the the most controversial components of the USA PATRIOT Act, in a move that rejects calls for responsible reform of the law by civil libertarians on the right and the left.

With prodding from the Obama White House – which has been working for months to secure a long-term extension of the PATRIOT Act -- and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, there will be a full-court press in coming days to win congressional approval for the extension of PATRIOT Act provisions that are set to expire May 27. But there will be opposition from both sides of the aisle to this bad bipartisanship, The toughest test will come in the House, where a coalition of Tea Party conservatives and united Democratic caucus could upset the rush to approve the extension.

It will be tough to block a lobbying push by key congressional leaders, especially in the Senate, where Reid and McConnell are co-sponsoring the extension proposal. But there is no question that there will significant be opposition to this assault on basic constitutional values.

As Shahid Buttar, executive director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, says: "This agreement reeks of all the worst things about Washington: secrecy, back-room dealing, institutional co-optation, and bipartisan collusion to undermine constitutional rights. The death of Osama bin Laden offered the hope that our nation's leaders might finally restore sanity to the national security establishment in the wake of mounting documented abuses. Instead, they insulated it from debate and rammed the PATRIOT Act down the throats of hundreds of millions of law-abiding Americans. I am, quite frankly, disgusted."

Please read the full article at:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/160847/patriot-act-extension-scheme-sells-out-constitution

[damntexdem]

1. Hoaxland Security goosesteps on.

[Dawson Leery]

11. Hoaxland "Security"!

Hoaxland "Security". :argh:

[indepat]

2. I am disgusted with any elected official who would violate his/her oath of office to

preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United State: none who do so deserves to be re-elected to office imnsho. :patriot:

[no limit]

3. During the campaign Obama constantly said he would reform the patriot act to protect liberties

he hasn't changed a fucking thing.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

4. Seth Meyers told President Obama that in 2012 the only one who could beat him

was 2008 Candidate Obama.

[no limit]

9. One of my favorite lines of the night. Seth did a really great job.

[gratuitous]

5. Oh, well, you see, John Nichols has no room to argue

Blah, blah, Cornel West, yammer, yammer, Only game in town, stammer, stammer, You'd rather have President McCain, squawk, squawk, You don't understand the nuances of Realpolitik (and I do, because I spelled it as one word with a "k"), blather, blather, Like the president can just stop legislation with the stroke of a pen, natter, natter, if Obama does it, that means it's good, and you're wrong, you commie flake you.

Did I get all the rebuttal points?

[Better Believe It]

6. Yup. You've pretty much covered all of it.

[SidDithers]

7. Unrec...nt

Sid

[no limit]

10. As always thank you for your valuable contribution to this thread.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. The incredible irony is that they're allegedly doing it to "protect" our freedoms.

You know, all that "land of the free and home of the brave" stuff that used to actually mean something.