He doesn't understand liberty
Today, Bush said that senators who are blocking renewal of the terrorism-fighting Patriot Act are acting irresponsibly and standing in the way of protecting the country from attack.
Senate Democrats, with the aid of a handful of Republicans, succeeded Friday in stalling the bill already approved by the House. The vote to advance the measure, 52-47, fell eight votes shy of the 60 votes required to end debate.
“In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment...that decision (to deny renewal) is irresponsible and it endangers the lives of our citizens. The senators who are filibustering must stop their delaying tactics and the Senate must reauthorize the Patriot Act.”
Opponents of renewing the law, argue that it threatens constitutional liberties at home. Some of the most contentious elements of the Patriot Act include powers granted to law enforcement agencies to gain access in secret to library and medical records and other personal data during investigations of suspected terrorist activity. The law also allows the government to conduct roving wiretaps involving multiple phones and to wiretap "lone wolf" terrorists who may operate on their own, without control from a foreign agent or power. If the law is not renewed, its powers would expire Dec. 31 for new investigations of people whose criminal activity began after Dec. 31 and who were not associated with anyone who was under investigation before Dec. 31.
Sen. Patrick Leahy D-Vt., a chief supporter of the original Patriot Act, said that the administration and GOP leaders rewrote the reauthorization in ways that fell short of protecting basic civil liberties and then attempted to force it through Congress. Leahy urged Bush and GOP leaders to support a brief extension of the law so that changes could be made in the reauthorization. "Fear mongering and false choices do little to advance either the security or liberty of Americans," Leahy said. "Instead of playing partisan politics and setting up false attack ads, they should join in trying to improve the law."
The Bushies do not want to compromise on any issues – they only want to ram their views thru. They are simply incapable of working with people who have opposing viewpoints, proving it over and over. There are legitimate concerns that the Patriot Act, written during the nervousness following 9/11, was too hastily crafted and truly does infringe on American rights. Rather than calling the US Constitution a “goddamned piece of paper”, Bush ought to read it, and learn to respect the liberties America treasures.
Posted on The Human Stain
Senate Democrats, with the aid of a handful of Republicans, succeeded Friday in stalling the bill already approved by the House. The vote to advance the measure, 52-47, fell eight votes shy of the 60 votes required to end debate.
“In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment...that decision (to deny renewal) is irresponsible and it endangers the lives of our citizens. The senators who are filibustering must stop their delaying tactics and the Senate must reauthorize the Patriot Act.”
Opponents of renewing the law, argue that it threatens constitutional liberties at home. Some of the most contentious elements of the Patriot Act include powers granted to law enforcement agencies to gain access in secret to library and medical records and other personal data during investigations of suspected terrorist activity. The law also allows the government to conduct roving wiretaps involving multiple phones and to wiretap "lone wolf" terrorists who may operate on their own, without control from a foreign agent or power. If the law is not renewed, its powers would expire Dec. 31 for new investigations of people whose criminal activity began after Dec. 31 and who were not associated with anyone who was under investigation before Dec. 31.
Sen. Patrick Leahy D-Vt., a chief supporter of the original Patriot Act, said that the administration and GOP leaders rewrote the reauthorization in ways that fell short of protecting basic civil liberties and then attempted to force it through Congress. Leahy urged Bush and GOP leaders to support a brief extension of the law so that changes could be made in the reauthorization. "Fear mongering and false choices do little to advance either the security or liberty of Americans," Leahy said. "Instead of playing partisan politics and setting up false attack ads, they should join in trying to improve the law."
The Bushies do not want to compromise on any issues – they only want to ram their views thru. They are simply incapable of working with people who have opposing viewpoints, proving it over and over. There are legitimate concerns that the Patriot Act, written during the nervousness following 9/11, was too hastily crafted and truly does infringe on American rights. Rather than calling the US Constitution a “goddamned piece of paper”, Bush ought to read it, and learn to respect the liberties America treasures.
Posted on The Human Stain
posted by James Roberts at
12/17/2005 11:36:00 PM
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