Letting PATRIOT Act Provisions Expire Would Be Irresponsible

[ Heads up! The lame street media is trying to portray this as a rift between the Tea Party movement and the GOP. Don’t believe that! If anything, it’s a disagreement with some libertarian principle! But do believe that neither major party is always as patriotic as I would have them be. In these times we need strong and effective defensive measures to counteract those who have no principles at all! Think jihad! - JS ]

 

Patriot Act Facts from Heritage

Last night, despite a strong majority vote in favor of the bill, the House of Representatives fell seven votes short of the two-thirds they needed to suspend the rules and pass three key counterterrorism amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Many of the headlines you will read today will say things like “Patriot Act Extension Fails in House,” but the reality is that much of the PATRIOT Act was already permanently enacted. Of the three amendments to FISA at issue in last night’s vote, two were part of the original PATRIOT Act, one was part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and all are set to expire at the end of this month.

Eight of the 26 Republican no votes came from freshmen who, Politico reports, “felt completely uniformed by their leadership.” Representative Todd Rokita (R–IN), who voted for the bill, even told Politico that he “didn’t know anything about [the vote] until today.” The three amendments voted on last night have been extensively modified over the years and now include significant new safeguards, including substantial court oversight. They include:

• Roving Surveillance Authority…
• Business Record Orders…
• The Lone Wolf Provision…

Read it all here or read today's more extensive Heritage Web Memo: Letting PATRIOT Act Provisions Expire Would Be Irresponsible

FLASH! This was just posted by Allen West:

My reasons for voting yes to Patriot Act extension

by Congressman Allen West on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 12:41pm

1-  Several of the 911 terrorists used public computers to review their September 11th plane tickets- ( this happened in the very district I represent- so this is personal to me)

2- Without roving wiretap authority, investigators would be forced to seek a new court order each time they need to change the location, phone or computer that needs to be monitored.  Terrorists and foreign spies use multiple communications devices to evade detection.

3- This provision would prevent terrorists who work on their own from escaping surveillance simply because they are not agents of a foreign power or avowed members of an international terrorist group:  think Major Hasan- Fort Hood, and the Times Square Bomber

I care about this country and this all comes down to protecting us from a REAL enemy that has found a new battleground: The United States.  Law abiding citizens liberties will be respected.