NYTimes.com: Senate Makes Permanent Nearly All Provisions of Patriot Act, With a Few Restrictions.
It's a sad day for liberty.
Republicans talk about freedom from intrusive government. But their actions show they want an authoritarian security state in which individual rights are always secondary to the power of the government, while corporations are given maximum protection.
And it's most bitterly laughable that the macho men who thump their chests about defending freedom and defying the terrorists are also the ones who run to trash the Constitution at the first sign of danger.
Fucking cowards. Fucking hypocrites.
And done late on a Friday at the end of July, so as to attract minimal attention. And, even later on Friday, word comes out that Bolton will get in with a "recess appointment". That way they won't risk a humiliating Senate defeat. For tough guys, the Bush team sure act like pussies most of the time.
Posted by: BC | July 31, 2005 at 08:15 AM
Mithras, you said it. How long can the conservative cowards remain in denial and cognitive dissonance in re their non-existent courage and total lack of principles, before their heads explode?
--BC, I don't see them acting much like women, given that it wasn't for the most part women who have been the "liberal hawks" among the Big Name Bloggers, that the [Where are all the] Women Bloggers in fact have been overall arguing much more ferociously against the defenders of the Hegemony from the start. Perhaps what you *meant* to say was that they're acting like [stereo]typical males - all bluster, no guts?
Posted by: bellatrys | July 31, 2005 at 03:13 PM
The patriots have won.
Posted by: Tiny Tyrant | August 01, 2005 at 07:52 AM
First, I agree with overall sentiments expressed by yourself, BC, and bellatrys.
Senate bill however is better than the House. The final version, as you know, will emerge from the Senate-House conference.
Actually spoke with some folks associated with the ACLU who think the Senate bill being passed by UC was NOT a bad thing. The other Senate version, by Roberts in the Intelligence Committee, was far worse.
So the stronger bill, without our Civil Rights and Liberties being even futher compromised, goes to the conference.
Have to take what small victories you can get. And hope these survive the Senate-House committee.
Posted by: ThomH | August 01, 2005 at 11:27 PM
"The Senate voted unanimously on Friday"
Fucking Republicans...
Posted by: Thomas | August 05, 2005 at 04:18 PM
Seriously. It's hard to hold the Republicans accountable when so many people on our side happen to agree with them.
Even if the Senate bill is marginally better than the original version, that doesn't excuse the complete willingness of Democrats to cow to this flawed assumption that somehow the existence of terrorism requires a re-write of the Constitution.
I see Feingold got over his initial objection to the original Patriot Act. So much for the good guys.
Posted by: Matt | August 06, 2005 at 09:20 AM
It's hard to hold the Republicans accountable when so many people on our side happen to agree with them.
No, it's not. If the Senate Dems are cowed, who is doing the cowing? Yeah, we can blame cowards who don't stand up to the bully while still acknowledging that it's the bully who is the major problem.
Posted by: Mithras | August 06, 2005 at 09:26 AM
Feingold managed to vote against the original in the wake of 9/11 when the pressure was greatest, so for him to turn now, when people on both sides of the aisle (albeit apparently none in the Senate) have argued against provisions of the PATRIOT Act, just seems particularly odd. However, I'll reserve saying I'm disappointed until I read the whole bill.
Posted by: PG | August 07, 2005 at 08:03 PM