Thursday, July 08, 2004
PATRIOT Act stays in power
Unfortunately, the House just defeated an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have limited the ability of police powers to undertake unlawful searches, such as those on library records. The vote was a 210-210 tie, with a majority needed to accept. The Rethugs held open voting extra time when the initial 15-minute vote showed an acceptance of the amendment. 10 Rethugs were convinced to change votes.
This it yet another sickening defeat for personal rights. It's amazing how the party which claims to defend personal rights is the one restricting which rights can be defended. How anyone's library record could be considered proof of anything is beyond me. While a terrorist may check out a specific book, so do thousands of other people who are simply interested in reading the document. I don't buy that such powers are legal or useful in any way. Boo to the assholes in Congress who consistently defend their own rights and compromise those of their constituents.
This it yet another sickening defeat for personal rights. It's amazing how the party which claims to defend personal rights is the one restricting which rights can be defended. How anyone's library record could be considered proof of anything is beyond me. While a terrorist may check out a specific book, so do thousands of other people who are simply interested in reading the document. I don't buy that such powers are legal or useful in any way. Boo to the assholes in Congress who consistently defend their own rights and compromise those of their constituents.
