Update on the Patriot Act

The controversial Patriot Act, passed hastily in the wake of fear after 9/11, desperately needs a huge overhaul. Like so much of the legislation sponsored by this administration, it does more to reduce our civil rights than it does to protect us from terrorism. Let's remember, folks, the "war on terror" was originally billed as a war to protect our freedoms, not limit them. Remember all of the statements like this?--

If we have to give up our rights to fight the war on terror, the terrorists will have won.

Well, look around. Our rights have been accosted left and right by this administration, while they continue to run the government behind mostly closed doors, in secrecy. Our rights under the freedom of information act have been breeched. Journalists report they have been blocked from accessing an unprecedented amount of information by this administration. If anything deserves to be fought, with a fillibuster, if necessary, this is it.

CLICK TO READ: Return of the Patriot Act - New York Times

"With key parts of the Patriot Act due to expire shortly, Congress has an opportunity to improve the law. Instead, it seems poised to renew many of the provisions that infringe most directly on civil liberties - and to add some new ones. There is nothing "patriotic" about letting the F.B.I. seize the records of ordinary Americans without a judge's approval, or taking away the federal judiciary's historical role in ensuring that the death penalty is imposed fairly. Some senators are threatening a filibuster as they negotiate to block some of the act's more egregious provisions. We hope a filibuster isn't necessary...."

Extension of Patriot Act Faces Threat of Filibuster - New York Times

"WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 - A tentative deal to extend the government's antiterrorism powers under the law known as the USA Patriot Act appeared in some jeopardy Thursday, as Senate Democrats threatened to mount a filibuster in an effort to block the legislation.

'This is worth the fight,' Senator Russell D. Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who serves on the Judiciary Committee, said in an interview...."