Patriot Act Extension Passes Senate, Rand Paul Amendments Fail

The Senate voted 72-23 Thursday to extend the government's Patriot Act powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists. The House was expected to quickly approve the legislation for President Barack Obama's signature.

The action comes a month after intelligence and military forces hunted down Osama bin Laden. Facing a midnight deadline when three terror-fighting tools would expire, the Senate struggled to find a way to stage a final vote in the face of continued resistance from a single senator, Republican freshman Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul's amendment, which would restrict law enforcement from accessing firearm receipts, failed to pass the Senate on Thursday afternoon.

The Senate vote extends two provisions of the 2001 USA Patriot Act, one allowing for roving wiretaps and the other allowing searches of business records in the pursuit of terrorist threats. A third provision gives the government power to watch non-American "lone wolf" suspects with no certain ties to terrorist groups. All three provisions are viewed as valuable tools by law enforcement officials but are opposed by some who say they can lead to privacy right abuses.

The roving wiretaps and access to business records are small parts of the USA Patriot Act that was enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. But unlike most of the act, which is permanent law, those provisions must be periodically renewed because of concerns that they could be used to violate privacy rights. The same applies to the "lone wolf" provision, which was part of a 2004 intelligence act.

Renewal this time was pushed up against the midnight deadline by Paul, who argued that in the rush to meet the terrorist threat in 2001 Congress enacted a Patriot Act that tramples on individual liberties. He had some backing from liberal Democrats and civil liberties groups who have long contended the Patriot Act gives the government authority to spy on innocent citizens.

Paul also proposed an amendment that would restrict national security officials from examining gun dealer records in their efforts to track potential terrorists. Senate Democrats initially refused to consider the amendment, which threatened to let the Patriot Act provisions expire. But Democrats relented Thursday morning and agreed to allow a vote on the measure, in order to expedite passage of the Patriot Act provisions. Paul's amendment failed 85-10.

Comments

[Dr Juan]

11:20 PM on 05/27/2011

Big government is out of control government. Here is another example of persecution of a family selling rabbits.

http://biggovernment.com/bmccarty/2011/05/20/family-facing-4-million-in-fines-for-selling-bunnies/

[xanas]

09:54 PM on 05/27/2011

"Paul's amendment, which would restrict law enforcement from accessing firearm receipts"

The words "without probable cause" are blatantly missing here. I'd give Huffington Post a pass on this except that other articles here have gone even further in misstating Rand Paul's position on this issue.

Should I now add Huffington Post as a source of disinformation on the same level as Fox News?

[Doyle Perry]

11:07 PM on 05/27/2011

You must be confused. Fox News is the ONLY source of accurate news. Obviously, the libs want to think Fox is right wing. But that's because, to libs, anyone or anything to the right of Mao Tze Tung is a radical right wing extremist.

[emperorofohio]

12:38 AM on 05/28/2011

oh oh oh Doyle my man can I get some whatever it is you have been smoking? It MUST be some serious stuff if you believe FOX News is not the mouth piece of the right wing

[Doyle Perry]

09:18 PM on 05/27/2011

I remember that, the first time the Patriot Act was extended, many congressmen said there was the potential of abuse, but that they trusted President Bush, because of his honesty, integrity and patriotism. While I support the Act, it does unnerve me a bit to have the Obama crime family in charge of it.

[xanas]

10:06 PM on 05/27/2011

Doyle, you really should not look to Bush as a good guy because of his acting and supposed conservatism. I know he had a good persona and he seemed like a great guy. But I've realized for a long time now that he's more of a criminal when it comes to war than Obama is.

I'm not saying Obama is something fantastic, but I am saying Bush was terrible.

Really, I'd say the same is true for at least 90-95% of politicians if not more. The stupid ones actually get caught doing something illegal, but most of them are just engaging in typical cronyism which is more harmful but not against the law.

[Doyle Perry]

10:32 PM on 05/27/2011

Xanas, you need to read some history, instead of just drinking the liberal kool-aid. I never implied that President Bush was a true conservative. He was a moderate, and did some things I did not agree with. But, that doesn't alter the fact that he was probably the most honest president of my lifetime (I was born during the Truman administration).

Your empty accusations are pitiful. When it came to war, which he abhorred, he got congressional approval up front, and led our soldiers with integrity. And I know what you want to say next, so I'll answer it. The notion of WMDs, which your liberal buddies love to talk about, was one in which the entire world intelligence community was fooled by Saddam Hussein. Luckily, that was only one of the many good reasons for freeing Iraq.

I also never said Obama was a war criminal. He is a babe-in-the-woods in every area, but, his continuation of the Bush policies in Iraq and Afghanistan is a positive thing. There is nothing wrong with what we're doing in Libya, but, he should have gotten congressional approval.

Finally, if you really think you believe 90-95% of politicians are criminals, or are engaged in cronyism, you should find another country, where you can believe in the leadership. Many politicians do things I disagree with. And a few are proven criminals (e.g. Barney Franks), But, based on what we see, 90-95% are honest and patriotic.

[Doyle Perry]

08:49 PM on 05/27/2011

I would laugh, if it wasn't so sad when know-nothings say the Patriot Act is unconstitutional, without quoting their qualifications, such as law school, being a sitting judge, etc.. Or how about when they say our entire congress is owned and run by foreign bankers? It would be nice if, when someone says something so stupid, they would also state how they know it. I'm sure it would be that they read it on some socialist web site.

[mrst2328]

09:36 PM on 05/27/2011

if bush was in ireland drinking beer, or england at a barbacue during katrina he would be called racist

[Doyle Perry]

10:46 PM on 05/27/2011

He was called racist anyway, just because Katrina hit New Orleans, which was a largely black city.

[starparcel]

07:00 PM on 05/27/2011

Thank you mother impalers. It is such a revelation to who you all really work for.

[GinaS504]

06:58 PM on 05/27/2011

After reading the comments, I think some of you dislike each other just because. When will we all realize, we all live in the same place, breath the same air, love our families and want what is best for them etc etc etc...I would think we all want to not give most of our hard earned money to politicians who use what they take from us carelessly. They are all the same! when will you guys get that. do you really think they care about us and what we say or how we feel or what we may want or not want. I don't know about most of you, but I feel voiceless. They, our gov, likes to instill fear in us and they do it all the time. Grow up people! We all live here on this earth. Why not start a garden, your food would be better for you than what "our gov" allows us to eat, plus cheaper. Teach you kids how to garden. Do something constructive and stop complaining. Take your life back!
Our fruit and veggies are tasteless, sprayed with all kinds of shit that is hurting us, bees, soil, blah blah blah.. We need bees. I can go on and on, but I won't. As much as I am disappointed in our gov, I too am disappointed in us! We really need to take better care of where we plant our feet each day and please try to stop fighting.

[nenitaB]

03:05 AM on 05/28/2011

You have a nice, mellow and practical idea which I hope those concerned will take notice . The US having the great number of most affluent people is still considered wealthy but the majority income unequally distributed for many reasons. If those in power do not do something to maximize efforts cooperatively to save the slowly falling economy it's one big problem this country is facing right now. Foreign policy is another very important .Peace is unreplaceable that goes with happiness thus make life worth living. Faved and fanned.

[missmymind2353]

06:38 PM on 05/27/2011

WHO ARE THE 23 NON-AMERICAN WHO VOTED AGAINST IT.

[mrst2328]

09:24 PM on 05/27/2011

mostly libs

[dprex]

06:26 PM on 05/27/2011

Patriot Act? I never have thought it had anything to do with "patriots"...LOL
Extend it? What for? I believe this "act" was already written BEFORE 9-11......

[Doyle Perry]

09:14 PM on 05/27/2011

And the basis for this ignorant comment? I take it you're saying it was written during the Clinton administration. So you must have been at a high level . . . a cabinet member?

[dprex]

05:28 PM on 05/28/2011

Doyle, the "ignorant" comment was made because the so called Patriot Act appeared very quickly after 9-11......and have you READ the LENGHTY Patriot Act? Seems it "could" be likely it was already "in the works", 9-11 was the trigger needed to bring it out.....maybe not, but not something beyond the realm of possiblility....you also have every right to believe everything you are told....most do.

[oceanview136]

06:17 PM on 05/27/2011

There is NO way that Rand Paul is an actual Republican !! I cannot believe the way he held up the vote on this bill. Of course there may be a few things in the bill that we may not care for, but to stay safe, I believe that we need this bill.

[xlmb]

06:31 PM on 05/27/2011

From my understanding he is actually with the "Tea Party" and a major conservative Republican. Maybe he fought it because it was an electronic signature? BO never officially put his John Hancock on the document unless you consider a computer signature to be official. Maybe he is truly a liberal and nothing but a spy for the liberals/demos. Has happened before a politician acting like a repub but all along a tree humping liberal. Finally I AGREE WITH YOU! No way he can be a true Repub... Have read a few things about Paul, but if his goal is to run for President he better forget it especially ON OUR TICKET!

[Lisa Hornsby]

11:48 PM on 05/27/2011

And your ticket is going nowhere ,Thank the Lord.

[BonkMan]

12:49 AM on 05/29/2011

Rand Paul, like is father, is really a Libertarian at heart. Fiscally conservative, socially liberal. He believes in the Constitution as a means to protect the individual against the tyranny of the government, and the tyranny of the majority. He, along with several Democrats and a few Republicans, took a principled stance against the Patriot Act, which while (possibly) well-intentioned, tramples on our 4th and 2nd Amendment Rights. He is a Tea Partier, but really the Tea Party as envisioned by Santelli, and not that of Army.

[usmc32yr]

05:53 PM on 05/27/2011

There is actually talk in Texas of seceding ,of course it will never happen ....think of the advantages ....Pay no more income tax all of that money could be used in our own state , we could close our borders ,no Mexicans from the south and no Yankees from the North , we could sell our oil to the US on the free market ....Texas all ready has the world's 7th largest GDP .....Get rid of the military bases , whose going to attack us ? The more I think about it the better it sounds ...But it will never happen ..The US would never allow the most prosperous state to go .....

[benne841]

06:09 PM on 05/27/2011

If Texas were to Secede from the United States, the reaction from the United States would be very much like West Lybia against the Rebel East.

[mrst2328]

09:26 PM on 05/27/2011

hardly... taxes are needed to support the illegals libs love to have for votes

[LiberalBuzz]

06:21 PM on 05/27/2011

IF you get rid of the military bases, your economy collapses. You can claim oil will support the state but it won't support the entire state's population. However military bases account for a huge number of people employed. All your defense contracts would automatically be stopped as we don't outsource our defense contracts to foreign countries. So thousands of jobs directly from the bases. Tens of thousands more in support jobs and tens of thousands more who are supported by that FEDERAL money through the money they spend at grocery, hardware, theaters, restaurants, you name it and FEDERAL money keeps that state going, NOT oil. So please work as hard as you can to secede. I'm right behind you. Heck I'd even move to Texas to vote on secession if it would help. The sooner we get rid of you backwards hicks who thing Creationism is real science and Thomas Jefferson had very little to do with the Founding Fathers and the South was fighting a just war and slavery is referred to as something called the Atlantic Traiangular Trade So you would lose more than a million jobs and your economy would come to a halt. So spare us the sanctimonious attitude about you being the most prosperous state, You are in debt to almost 20 billion and just like Bush took the cost of the Iraq and Aghanistan war off the budget to make things look good, you ain't the most prosperous, you are a house of cards so the sooner you secede the sooner you'll be crying to come back for all those FEDERAL dollar you so sanctimoniously disdain. Here's a quarter go buy a clue.

[usmc32yr]

09:07 PM on 05/27/2011

Without federal restrictions on oil drilling we would explode ...What would the US do without there largest supplier of domestic oil ? So you don't think we are not prosperous ,please tell me who you think is ? secession can't happen ,it's just that Texas would be better off without the dead weight ....We could close our borders to Mexicans , and even better to the Yankees ...

[usmc32yr]

09:35 PM on 05/27/2011

Texas is much more than oil , we are ranked # 7 in the world in GDP

[richieblck]

05:53 PM on 05/27/2011

THIS JUST IN!!! The patriot act will be used to sniff out those showing patriotic tendencies. It make me sick that Rand Paul was the only one up there fighting against this.

[nnealj1]

05:49 PM on 05/27/2011

I don't care how many times the Congress passes extensions of the Patriot Act, and how many times a sitting president signs those extensions to keep it as law, these are still illegal extensions of an unconstitutional law. The law was illegal when Bush was president and it remains just as illegal today, after it's latest extension. The founding fathers must be turning over in their graves....

[usmc32yr]

05:55 PM on 05/27/2011

What law is being broken ?

[BonkMan]

12:51 AM on 05/29/2011

Specifically, our 4th Amendment rights, as well as our 2nd Amendment rights. For example, Police Officers are now able to write their own search warrants without written approval from a judge, which is expressly unconstitutional.

[JDSept]

06:26 PM on 05/27/2011

illegal is defined by a court. Take it to court. Thata's right it already has been and decided how?

[DannyDiamond]

05:48 PM on 05/27/2011

When will everyone stop fawning over elitists and wake up to the nightmare called the American dream? I don't care for Obama or any other corporate puppet and don't believe for a second they control one thing. Change?? I thought Obama ran on the fact he was going to repeal The Patriot Act! I don't get all excited when they sell me lies of war and terror and getting "the terrorists". One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter as they say. I'm against big government of any kind and the Patriot act is completely anti American. We're being led to slaughter by the corporate elite. Camp FEMA anyone?

[Doyle Perry]

08:46 PM on 05/27/2011

You sound like a teenager, who knows nothing about the world. In out case, the terrorists are murderous religious fanatics, who want nothing more than to kill everyone who is of a different religion or no religion. Talk to me about them being "freedom fighters" when their women have one iota of freedom.

[theshadow795]

05:47 PM on 05/27/2011

Obama is turning out to be bush lite. I cannot believe that this horrid Un-American bill was extended. The Patriot Act, and any who support it, must go.

[duriostellaj]

06:03 PM on 05/27/2011

Except Bush light is all the taste with les calories - Obama is all the bad with "new bad" mixed in.

[bruceonly]

06:24 PM on 05/27/2011

wonder when the Left will finally get buyers remorse and realize all they got was a community organizer9extortionist) who's following the Bush doctrine at every turn!

[Doyle Perry]

08:40 PM on 05/27/2011

Well, except for some details like socialized medicine and quadrupling the deficit, he may be following the "Bush Doctrine" in some areas.