There are 290 bills that have been passed by the House that are languishing in the Senate because of a threat of filibuster. Most of these bills are not major and many of them passed the House with significant Republican support. If you just have a minute watch the first part of this segment from Rachel Maddow's show yesterday, you should do so. If you have more time, watch the whole segment.
So that is how the Republican Senators with the aid of the wimpy Democratic Senators deal with governing. It is appalling that the Democrats would let the Republicans stop everything even things that pass the House of Representatives almost unanimously.
So here is how the Senate Democrats deal with a really important issue and something that the Republicans want to pass.
Senate votes to extend USA Patriot Act for 1 year
WASHINGTON – The Senate voted Wednesday to extend for a year key provisions of the nation's counterterrorism surveillance law that are scheduled to expire at the end of the month. In agreeing to pass the bill, Senate Democrats retreated from adding new privacy protections to the USA Patriot Act.
The Senate approved the bill on a voice vote with no debate. It now goes to the House.
Three important sections of the Patriot Act are to expire at the end of this month.
One authorizes court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. A second allows court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations. A third permits surveillance against a so-called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen suspected of engaging in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group.
Supporters say extending the law enables authorities to keep important tools in the fight against terrorism. It would also give Democrats some cover from Republican criticism that the Obama administration is soft on terrorism. Republicans have criticized the administration for trying terrorist suspects in civilians courts, rather than military ones, and for trying to close the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Some Democrats, however, had to forfeit new privacy protections they had sought for the law.
The Judiciary Committee bill would have restricted FBI information demands known as national security letters and made it easier to challenge gag orders imposed on Americans whose records are seized. Library records would have received extra protections. Congress would have closely scrutinized FBI use of the law to prevent abuses. Dissemination of surveillance results would have been restricted and after a time, unneeded records would have been destroyed.
"I would have preferred to add oversight and judicial review improvements to any extension of expiring provisions in the USA Patriot Act," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "But I understand some Republican senators objected."
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Associated Press writer Larry Margasak contributed to this report.
I just want to be sure that you saw the last quote from Senator Leahy:
"I would have preferred to add oversight and judicial review improvements to any extension of expiring provisions in the USA Patriot Act," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "But I understand some Republican senators objected."There are very legitimate concerns about many provisions of the Patriot Act and yet the Democrats are unwilling to use their majority status to protect the privacy and civil rights of Americans. Not only do they not filibuster or threaten a filibuster or just not bring the issue to a vote, they completely give in to the Republicans, because "some Republican Senators objected."
What kind of leaders do we have in the Democratic Party? Why won't they stand up for the most basic tenets of the Democratic Party? Perhaps you would like to send an email to Senator Leahy (here) letting him know how disappointed you are.
We can only hope that the House of Representatives will add the protections necessary to protect our privacy and civil rights. You might want to let your representative know how you feel and a note to Speaker Pelosi would help as well. Here is the link.
We are not doing well today.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
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