House Fails to Pass (Traitor's) Patriot Act Renewal Provisions
[Editor's Note: I had expected the NWO sellouts in congress to rubber stamp the Traitor's Act renewal provisions, but thankfully, enough pro-constitution supprt has been generated among new House members that the NWO takeover of America has been slowed, for a while at least. Note the comment from NWO sellout and MK Ultra sex slave abuser Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont:
"We're working on that this week," Leahy said. "It's got to be done. ... I don't want it to be a situation where none of them go through."
And this Illuminated NWO dirt bag:
“I am disappointed in the outcome of tonight’s vote,” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the author of the original act. “We are now under a time crunch.
And this newly-elected sellout:
Meanwhile, one of the Senate's newly-elected moderate Republicans, Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.), said Monday that he's likely to vote in favor of extending the Patriot Act provisions, adding that "it would be smart" for the Senate to back a three-year extension.
"Having it disappear is not the right answer," Kirk said.
But removing these treasonous sellouts from congress IS the right anwer to restore America to the Land of the Free. ...Ken Adachi
WASHINGTON – The Republican-led House on Tuesday failed to pass a short-term extension of the USA Patriot Act favored by GOP leaders, an unexpected political setback that shows the difficulty the party faces in keeping control of their new majority, with its legion of tea party-inspired members.
Key provisions of the terrorist surveillance law expire at the end of the month, and a coalition of veteran Republican lawmakers and conservative new members blocked passage of a measure that many tea party activists see as federal government over-reach into private affairs.
The unexpected turn of events will require the White House, which is seeking to extend the Sept. 11-era bill through 2013, to work with congressional leaders to devise a new strategy for passage.
“I am disappointed in the outcome of tonight’s vote,” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., the author of the original act. “We are now under a time crunch.”
The House voted 277-148 under a process that required a two-thirds vote, ending up seven votes short. Twenty-six Republicans voted against the bill. Democrats were divided, with 67 voting in favor and 122 against.
GOP leaders chose the ill-fated process to avoid amendments that could have ended up restructuring the measure.
The measure would have renewed three key provisions of the Patriot Act. Civil libertarians have long opposed the provisions as unwarranted federal surveillance power, a view shared by top congressional Democrats.
Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called the act Tuesday “one of the worst laws this body has ever passed.”
But with the dozens of new Republicans in Congress, opponents also are coming from the political right as tea party activists object to the law’s reach into private affairs.
The House GOP sought an eight-month extension to give leaders time to prepare to for an attempt later this year to make the law permanent, potentially inserting the national security debate into the unfolding presidential campaign season.
House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December
A measure to extend key provisions of the Patriot Act counterterrorism surveillance law through December failed the House Tuesday night, with more than two-dozen Republicans bucking their party to oppose the measure.
The House measure, which was sponsored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and required a two-thirds majority for passage, failed on a 277 yes-to-148 no vote. Twenty-six Republicans voted with 122 Democrats to oppose the measure, while 67 Democrats voted with 210 Republicans to back it. Ten members did not vote.
The measure would have extended three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are set to expire on Monday, Feb. 28, unless Congress moves to reauthorize them. One of the provisions authorizes the FBI to continue using roving wiretaps on surveillance targets; the second allows the government to access "any tangible items," such as library records, in the course of surveillance; and the third is a "lone wolf" provision of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act that allows for the surveillance of targets who are not connected to an identified terrorist group.
The vote came as several tea party-aligned members of the new freshman class had been expressing doubts about the measure.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who highlighted his opposition to the law during his upstart 2010 Senate campaign, signaled Monday that he may vote ultimately vote against an extension when the measure comes up in the Senate, likely later this month.
"I've had a lot of reservations about the Patriot Act," Paul said when asked whether he's leaning toward voting for an extension. "We're reviewing it and we're going over it, and we will have something out probably in the next couple of days," he added. "We won't be shy about it when it comes out."
Paul's father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), was among the trio of Republican lawmakers who opposed the Patriot Act when the House approved it in October 2001.
Some young conservative lawmakers, including Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), had not yet decided how they would vote ahead of Tuesday night; Chaffetz later said in an interview after the vote that he had indeed decided to support the measure. A spokesperson for Chaffetz's Utah colleague, conservative freshman Sen. Mike Lee (R), did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, one of the Senate's newly-elected moderate Republicans, Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.), said Monday that he's likely to vote in favor of extending the Patriot Act provisions, adding that "it would be smart" for the Senate to back a three-year extension.
"Having it disappear is not the right answer," Kirk said.
Some Democrats opposed to the Patriot Act had seized on Tuesday's vote as an opportunity to question tea-party-backed lawmakers' reverence for the Constitution.
Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who voted against the measure in 2001, released a statement Monday calling Tuesday's House vote "the tea party's first test."
"The 112th Congress began with a historic reading of the U.S. Constitution," Kucinich said. "Will anyone subscribe to the First and Fourth Amendments tomorrow when the PATRIOT Act is up for a vote? I am hopeful that members of the Tea Party who came to Congress to defend the Constitution will join me in challenging the reauthorization."
The Patriot Act has long been an issue that has not divided neatly along party lines. Former Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold was the only senator to originally vote against the measure in 2001 and was among the law's most outspoken opponents. But as portions of the law have come up for reauthorization over the years, its opponents have often included both Republican and Democratic members.
The White House on Tuesday said in a statement that it "does not object" to extending the three Patriot Act provisions until December 2011 although it "would strongly prefer" an extension until December 2013, noting that the longer timeline "provides the necessary certainty and predictability" that law enforcement agencies require while at the same time ensuring congressional oversight by maintaining a sunset.
In addition to the House legislation, the Senate is considering three competing timelines, including proposals that would permanently extend the three provisions or extend them through 2013. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), both of whom have introduced competing proposals, said Monday that committee members continue to work toward an agreement but declined to speculate as to the end result.
"We're working on that this week," Leahy said. "It's got to be done. ... I don't want it to be a situation where none of them go through."
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