House Prepares to Renew Patriot Act

[papau]

expected to pass today is a White House-backed bill that would renew more than a dozen provisions of the Patriot Act which are due to expire Dec. 31.

http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2005/12/13/ap/headlines/d8efto400.txt

House Prepares to Renew Patriot Act

By JESSE J. HOLLAND

WASHINGTON - The GOP-controlled House plans to quickly renew portions of the USA Patriot Act before they expire at the end of the year. Some Republicans say the nation's safety could be endangered if the Senate doesn't follow suit.

The House on Wednesday was expected to pass a White House-backed bill that would renew more than a dozen provisions of the Act _ the government's premier anti-terrorism law _ which are due to expire Dec. 31.

But saving those provisions will be more difficult in the Republican-controlled Senate, where some GOP and Democratic senators are unsatisfied with the compromise bill, which was worked out last week between key Republicans in the House and Senate.

At least one senator, Democrat Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, is threatening a filibuster.<snip>


Justice Department's Web site on the USA Patriot Act: http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/

ACLU's Patriot Act Web site: http://www.aclu.org/safefree

[papau]

1. Frist hits Patriot Act proposal (does not want to postpone vote)

Frist worried Just because the American Civil Liberties Union yesterday called on the Senate to reject the conference report, saying it was concerned about a "lack of substantive reforms."? "The Senate must stand true to its role as the 'saucer that cools the tea' and reject pressures to hastily pass a faulty bill," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington legislative office. The ACLU said the conference report failed to require individualized suspicion before people's financial, medical or library records could be gathered by the FBI and that law-enforcement authorities could use the power to "engage in fishing expeditions into the private information of innocent Americans."

http://washtimes.com/national/20051213-111246-8303r.htm

Frist hits Patriot Act proposal
By Charles Hurt and Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
December 14, 2005

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said yesterday that he is opposed to the bipartisan proposal to extend contentious portions of the USA Patriot Act by three months until civil liberty concerns can be resolved.

"I'm against postponing it yet again," the Tennessee Republican told reporters.

Instead, Mr. Frist wants the Senate to vote on the just-finished conference report that extends the provisions by four years and says he hopes the measure won't be filibustered before the current version of the Patriot Act expires at the end of the year.

That legislation -- hammered out in negotiations between members of the House and Senate -- will be taken up in the House today and is expected to pass. But in the Senate, it could be filibustered by Democrats and Republicans who say the bill gives law enforcement too much authority. <snip>

[papau]

3. Congress Should Reauthorize the Patriot Act and Further Strengthen Homelan

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, shilling for the Patriot Act, claims, "There have been no verified civil liberties abuses in the four years of the act's existence."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/13/AR2005121301476_pf.html

Reauthorize the Patriot Act
Congress Should Reauthorize the Patriot Act and Further Strengthen Homeland Security
By Alberto R. Gonzales
Wednesday, December 14, 2005; A29

On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists inspired by hatred murdered nearly 3,000 innocent Americans. In response, Congress overwhelmingly passed the USA Patriot Act. Now, before it adjourns for the year, Congress must act again to reauthorize this critical piece of legislation. Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are at work: Their stated goal is to kill Americans, cripple our economy and demoralize our people.

The bill to be considered this week is a good one. It equips law enforcement with the tools needed to fight terrorists, and it also includes new civil liberties protections. Members of Congress should put aside the rhetoric and focus on the facts surrounding this vital legislation.

The Patriot Act has been successful in helping prevent acts of terrorism in many ways. First, it updated anti-terrorism and criminal laws to reflect evolving technologies. Second, it increased penalties for those who commit terrorist crimes. Third, it gave terrorism investigators the same tools used by those who pursue drug dealers and the Mafia. Most important, the act helped break down the wall preventing regular exchange of information between the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

Four years later, after a lengthy and extensive public debate, Congress has produced a comprehensive reauthorization bill to permanently reauthorize 14 of the act's 16 expiring provisions. During this important debate, Republicans and Democrats have discovered that concerns raised about the act's impact on civil liberties, while sincere, were unfounded. There have been no verified civil liberties abuses in the four years of the act's existence.
Furthermore, the new bill adds 30 safeguards to protect privacy and civil liberties. Specifically, it includes measures providing that those who receive national security letters may consult an attorney and challenge the request in court; requires high-level Justice Department sign-off before investigators may ask a court to order production of certain sensitive records, such as those from a library; and requires that the FBI describe the target of a "roving wiretap" with sufficient specificity to ensure that only a single individual is targeted.<snip>

[jeff30997]

2. The name should be:

The Police-state Act.

[kansasblue]

4. see Reichstag Fire Decree (link)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree