Against all enemies............

U.S. House Approves New Patriot Act Measures; Filibuster Now Threatened in Senate to Block Civil Rights Takeover
At least 12 Senators are asking for a three-month delay before passing the draconian Bush Patriot Act amendments which would further erode civil liberties.
15 Dec 2005

By Greg Szymanski



The future of the U.S. Constitution and civil rights hang in the balance, hinging on an important vote in Congress this week, as the Bush administration tries to ramrod into law a new more draconian version of the U.S. Patriot Act.



The Republican majority is trying to push the administration’s wishes through the Senate, as the White House’s new version of the Patriot Act gives even more government flexibility to take away privacy and free speech rights under the guise of terrorism.



Although critics say the passage of the new version of the Patriot Act is “a done deal,” a bipartisan group of senators have to fight back on the Senate floor by filibuster if necessary.



“This is a huge moment. Senators from both parties are standing together to protect freedom and liberty -- and they’re ready to fight. Go to moveon.org and sign a petition to show them and the rest of the Senate that you support filibustering this bad bill? The Patriot Act has to be stopped,” said activist John Leahy in a last ditch effort to gather forces to stop passage of the act.



Civil rights activists for years have jumped on the anti-Patriot Act bandwagon, after the law was pushed through Congress 45 days after 9/11 without most if not all the Senators not even bothering to read the legislation.



Since passage of the act government powers to spy on Americans without a legal warrant or probable cause has been drastically expanded, causing cherished constitutional protections to be ignored under the guise of “domestic terrorism.”



But instead of repealing intrusive provisions, President Bush is determined to expand the “draconian measures under the act,” as this week he has sent his top law enforcement guns to Capital Hill to demand that Congress ass a House-Senate accord that would renew more than a dozen provisions of the act before expiring on Dec. 31.



Bush’s disrespect for civil rights and the U.S. Constitution has long been a hallmark of his Presidency as recently he was quoted by at least three Oval Office sources as saying the Constitution was nothing more than “a goddamn piece of paper.”



First reported by Doug Thompson of the oldest-running political site on the internet, Capital Hills Blues, the story sent shockwaves through America, getting headlines worldwide.



Although th4e House is expected to pass Bush’s version of the Patriot Act this week, success in the Senate now seems unclear due to the threat of a Democratic filibuster.



Proponents of using this delay tactics say even some Republicans have joined in to suggest a three month delay is needed in order to carefully sort out the rqmifications of the Bush agenda, which has already proven to take away many cherished constitutional rights.



Reports inside Capital Hill report that about 12 Senators are opposed to quick passage of the bill, including leader of the filibuster initiative, Democratic Senator Russ Finegold of Wisconsin and Senate Minority leader, Harry Reid, a democrat from Nevada.



'There's no reason to compromise right to due process, the right to a judicial review, fair and reasonable standards of evidence in the pursuit of our security," said Senator John E. Sununu, Republican of New Hampshire, who is urging Congress to move the expiration date of the new provisions within the Patriot Act back to March 31.



The new legal tools added to the new provisions sought by resident Bush would give the government expanded authority to investigate American citizens like the government now uses to investigate organized crime.



Editor’s note: As this story was being posted, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Bush administration new Patriot Act initiatives. It is now up to the Senate.

Greg Szymanski

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