President Obama supports extending Patriot Act provisions

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

The Obama administration supports extending three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year, the Justice Department told Congress in a letter made public Tuesday.

Lawmakers and civil rights groups had been pressing the Democratic administration to say whether it wants to preserve the post-Sept. 11 law's authority to access business records, as well as monitor so-called "lone wolf" terrorists and conduct roving wiretaps.

The provision on business records was long criticized by rights groups as giving the government access to citizens' library records, and a coalition of liberal and conservative groups complained that the Patriot Act gives the government too much authority to snoop into Americans' private lives.

(snip)
In a letter to lawmakers, Justice Department officials said the administration supports extending the three expiring provisions of the law, although they are willing to consider additional privacy protections as long as they don't weaken the effectiveness of the law.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090915/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_patriot_act

---

Leahy responded with a statement saying it is important for the administration and Congress to "work together to ensure that we protect both our national security and our civil liberties."

[Neecy]

1. So much for "change"

[Cronus Protagonist]

2. Very disappointing

Another great white hope bites the dust.

[elocs]

3. You know, there are things about this adminstration that are sad. Simply sad. n/t

[ixion]

4. Thanks a pant load, Obama

for making me feel like an ass for voting for you. :grr:

[ixion]

5. The unPATRIOTic Act is unconstitutional, and should be repealed

in whole, immediately.

[HillbillyBob]

40. Good luck getting either the Representatives to represent us

or the Supine Court to rule correctly ....

[FiveGoodMen]

6. ...when repealing it should have been one of his first priorities

All DUers who agreed with the PA when Bush singed it into law are entitled to disagree with my statement.

[bluestateguy]

7. We have terrorists here at home

Teabaggers and birthers, The Westboro Baptist Church and follwers of Pastor Anderson in Arizona.

[Neecy]

8. And law enforcement can deal with them

...just as always.

And do you really want Teabaggers and birthers spied on? Remember this if the tables are turned with the next Republican president. They haven't violated any laws.

[Vidar]

50. Damn. another victory for the thugs over civil rights!

[tekisui]

20. That is why we have police.

:eyes:

[joeycola]

22. and we have police to deal with those types.

[Soylent Brice]

9. K&R

and a giant :wtf:

[Mari333]

10. man, he is going to slip further and further and his base will leave him

mark my words.
knr

[truebrit71]

13. Very disappointing...

..If you make the same decisions as the guy that you replaced, the only thing that "changed" was the guy making the decisions...

You weren't elected to give us more of the same, you were elected to give us back our civil liberties and hold the criminals to account.

You haven't done either.

[Mari333]

16. whats worse, is, I think a "Nadering" might happen in 2012 if this keeps up

a lot of progressive dems will either sit it out, or vote Independent. and then, back to the neocons.

[ProudDad]

43. Excuse me,

The Dems drive people away...

And you call it "Nadering"?

Why not call it Fucked by Obama and his owners?

Ralph Nader had nothing to do with it in 2000 nor does he have anything to do with it now...

[Mari333]

52. i know i know nader had nothing to do with 2000, doh!

i was using the term loosely..a lot of dems i speak with say they wont vote at all or they will vote independent. did I say that obama and the centrist dems didnt fuck us? I already know that too.
lighten up.

[liquid diamond]

47. And we'll be in a WORSE situation than we are in now.

Fucking think people!

[Le Taz Hot]

75. Then maybe President Change ought to

get a clue and throw the progressives a few bones. So far him and that snake Emmanuel have only thrown progressives under the bus. And then they DEMAND our votes. Yeah, fucking think, people! :eyes:

[Grinchie]

29. He's already lost his base...

And now it's Scorched rubber, full speed ahead for the lame duck president.

[AtheistCrusader]

39. Eh, I'm not happy about it

In fact I'm pretty pissed BUT, keeping a little perspective:

The alternative was John McCain.



I'd say we're still money ahead, yes?

[truebrit71]

11. So much for change...

...:eyes:

[ezgoingrl]

12. Extremely disappointing, indeed.

eom

[tbyg52]

14. Hard to get 'em to let go of power once they've got it. nt

[thesquanderer]

15. Remember, Obama voted for it as a Senator too (n/t)

[shadowknows69]

17. I'm done with this shit. I'm soon to be an independent.

I'll still support Democratic candidates, but it's looking more and more like it will be Primary candidates.

[Michigan-Arizona]

48. Well put Shadowknows - I feel the same way n/t

[Laelth]

18. I feel ill. This is not the change I voted for. n/t

:mad:

:dem:

-Laelth

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. I, the World, and many USAmericans prayed for a positive change in the USA's policies . .

.
.
.

I'm not seeing it . . .

Barack, are you just a pawn in the PNACer's quest?

sorta looking like it.

I'd LOVE to be proved totally wrong.

please? ? ?

[Grinchie]

30. Don't delude yourself. Obama sold out months ago.

[laconicsax]

55. Ever think that your prayer was actually answered?

Just not with the answer you'd hoped?

[tekisui]

21. Shame!

:mad:

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. For shame

[dmr]

24. Call me cynical, but the timing of this letter & the timing of the terrorist raid in NY

is mighty suspicious.

Just saying ...

[meow2u3]

25. With all those violent right-wing extremists in the backwoods

Those nut jobs had better be identified as terrorist organizations!! We have a struggle against domestic terrorism that has surfaced since President Obama has been in office.

Among them:

KKK's evil spawn, the United Klans of America
The so-called "army of God"
Aryan nations
skinhead groups
Dominionists
Teabaggers


The list goes on. They should be regarded and dealt with as dangerous domestic terrorists.

[aquart]

31. Nonsense. Good patriotic Americans all. Right, federal governmment?

[Grinchie]

32. Wow, he's got you jumping at shadows.

Next thing it will be eco terrorists, environmentalists and Progressives..

Nothing like letting a weed grow until you can call it a pest.

[dflprincess]

61. Don't forget the Quakers

they usually wind up on domestic surveillance lists as well.

[ProudDad]

44. They were here long before the misnamed "patriot" act

and sometimes they were arrested, tried and incarcerated...

But seldom...

Because the USAmerikan Empire is basically fascist...

But the misnamed "patriot" act just pretty much ignores them as much as all of the useful laws that could be used to keep tabs on them ignore them.

[Le Taz Hot]

76. And when Obama is out of office

will those guns be turned on:

Planned Parenthood
ACLU
Southern Poverty Law Center
Amnesty International
UFW
The Innocence Project

Should they also be regarded and dealt with as dangerous domestic terrorists when the Republicans, at some point, gain back the WH? See how that works?

[flvegan]

82. They won't be labeled terrorists because they don't cost corporations money

or inconvenience. Not until the Army of God or Stormfront costs big pharma or some other corpo-interest big money or gives them cause to think they'll cost them big money will they ever make that list. Until then, we can continue to spy on vegan potlucks.

[Grinchie]

26. You're doin a Heckuva Job Obama

It's an Early Christmas for Bush and Co this year.

[Beacool]

27. Why is it that every administration acts as if the other party will never take over?

The Democrats seem to forget, just as the Republicans did, that the other party will be back in power at some time.

:eyes:

[aquart]

28. I don't.

[ShortnFiery]

33. Very disappointed. Power, once obtained is hard to wrest away from ANYONE. :(

[Dr.Phool]

34. More change we can make believe in.

[treestar]

35. The Justice Department again?

Is this like when it was continuing those lawsuits the Bush Administration filed?

[provis99]

36. meet the new boss; same as the old boss.

[Indigent]

37. Let's not jump the gun and criticize Obama without reading the details

Only three provisions are being discussed here, not the Patriot Act as a whole.

[IndianaGreen]

68. PATRIOT Act is a threat to our liberties

It was so when Congress first passed it (without bothering to read it), and it is still so after Congress sugar-coated it.

[Turbineguy]

38. A good idea

he could probably arrest Glenn Beck under the Patriot Act.

[Kitsune]

41. Looks like more change we can believe in.

Meet the new boss, etc etc...

What a fucking joke. >_<

[Solly Mack]

42. K&R

[ProudDad]

45. As my sigline has said since early 2008...

January 20, 2009 - Same old shit, different container

[Purveyor]

46. Boy o' Boy! I'm having a real hard time staying on the Obama 'band-wagon'. First time I

printed those thoughts but just what in the hell did we work, contribute and vote for?

If we approve or assist in a military attack on Iran then I'm outta here! The cake will be baked on frosted.

Just saying...

[Tim01]

49. Wow. That's awsome.

NOT the change I was hoping for.

Yeah, were pretty much fucked.

[The abyss]

51. And this announcement is surprising? Shocking?

In what way?


The president of the US works for the “government”. It doesn’t matter if that person’s name is Bush or Obama. They report to one and only one entity, I call it a machine. The congress critters, for the most part, report to that same entity.

None of the above actually care too much one way or the other about what “We the People” want.

“We the People” are fed daily fear and diversion packets.

The tea-baggers fear the current administration because this administration is somehow a socialist monster about to devour…whatever. However it is no less a monster than the one it replaced.

We fear the tea-baggers and minimalize their voice because we consider them small & ignorant.

The reality is that ALL of us are being led down a path lined with fun-house mirrors.

ALL = “We the People”

[Tim01]

58. Wow, cynical much?

Stop with the truth posting, you're making me depressed.

[shadowknows69]

59. Official Cynics Union #24 card holder right here too.

[2Design]

53. another disappointment n/t

[onehandle]

54. No surprise. Now what do we get?

Pass the public option and you can listen to my boring phone calls all you want.

[dflprincess]

63. If I'm going to be expected to give up my rights

it won't be for anything less than single payer. :sarcasm:

Actually, I won't willingly give them up for anything.

[24601]

56. Surprised? No. It's intuitive that the President believes that he

will use the Patriot Act responsibly and aviod abuse. Will he?

[Old Hob]

57. coincidentally, the house passed new rules today which bar members from calling the Pres a hypocrite

[24601]

69. No, they didn't pass them today. Rep Slaughter today released a

primer (reminder/working aid) that recapped some of the rules, as adopted in 1909. Specifically, section 370 of the House Rules and Manual.

http://www.rules.house.gov/archives/house_comm_dec.htm

[and-justice-for-all]

60. Really Leahy?

"...it is important for the administration and Congress to "work together to ensure that we protect both our national security and our civil liberties." Because it does neither.

[QC]

62. Oh well, what's one more betrayal?

At least the puppy's cute!

[JustAnotherGen]

64. "Lone Wolf Terrorists"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/recent-shootings-show-thr_n_215211.html

Like James Von Brunn?


The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks white supremacists, says the number of hate groups in the United States has risen 54 percent since 2000, fueled by opposition to Hispanic immigration and, more recently, by the election of the nation's first black president and the economic downturn.

"Today the vast majority of domestic terrorist attacks are in fact lone wolf or so-called leaderless resistance attacks," said the center's Mark Potok. "There are very few ways to prevent them ... short of assigning a police officer to every person in America."

Now - will it prevent them? Maybe not. Does it keep them on their toes?

I think so.

I'm sorry - but I'm seeing the right as collectively having gone off of the deep end. I just looked at the Fox News Message board. These people are certifiably insane. They are kooks and wingnuts. I don't care if anyone at DU gets their panties in a bunch over my 'view of the others'.

At the end of the day - The Others . . . eh? It's getting to the point where I'm shocked when it's not a white christian heterosexual male on the 'right'. It's becoming a stereotype at this point.

Am I being nice? Nope. But then again I'm a UU - and it was one of OUR churches that a lone wolf came into and shot up in Summer of 2008. So I don't have a lot of warm fuzzies for the Lone Wolf.

[Grinchie]

71. No No No, This "Lone Wolf Terrorist"!

The DLC is scared to death of this person, who has been heard to say, and I quote

"They shall pay in rivers of Blood!"

Seriously though, I think Shogun Assasin is one of the better Samurai movies of all time.

:rofl:

[DissedByBush]

65. I always give Obama a chance and read what's going on

I see roving wiretaps. That doesn't need any change. A suspect shouldn't be able to thwart a lawfully issued wiretap warrant by switching phones. I like this one as long as the wiretap is only legal for phones the suspect is using.

The other two I'll have to wait to see what kind of privacy protections are put into place. The gag order provision in the business records law needs to have a definite expiration without further justification too.

[Jefferson23]

66. This is wrong, and I'm disappointed, but can you just imagine

if Obama didn't do this? Those wackos want him literally gone, this would be just more propaganda for them to fuel all the racist assholes out there.

[IndianaGreen]

67. If Bush had done this, we would all be howling with outrage. But when Obama does it

the board nannies and the Kool-Aid peddlers will accuse us of whining.

[burrowowl]

70. Constitutional Scholar!

Bullshit!

[IndianaGreen]

79. Obama is as much a Constitutional scholar as Bush was an MBA

Somewhere, somehow, their brains either had a meltdown or their core values were sold to highest bidder.

[mvd]

72. Lots of things we have to watch

How strong a health bill we get, whether Obama will force banks into changing instead of urging them to, what the privacy protections will be here... the next year will be telling.

[FreedomTrain]

73. I really don't like this

But since it would be racist of me not to agree with Obama, I now support the PATRIOT act.

[Name removed]

74. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[newtothegame]

77. It's cool, cause at least we got to take pictures of our ballots after we made 'history.' n/t

[Xenotime]

78. THis is not CHANGE. This is * policy that need to be removed.

[jimmyflint]

80. Kind of makes me want to shout " you lie" n/t

[ZombieHorde]

81. I made a poll about this tread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8657610">Here is the poll about this tread.

[flvegan]

83. Smells like Change to me.

:eyes:

[NewAgeThinker]

84. Obama Wants to Extend Patriot Act Provisions

Source: Military

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration supports extending three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year, the Justice Department told Congress in a letter made public Tuesday.

Lawmakers and civil rights groups had been pressing the Democratic administration to say whether it wants to preserve the post-Sept. 11 law's authority to access business records, as well as monitor so-called "lone wolf" terrorists and conduct roving wiretaps.

The provision on business records was long criticized by rights groups as giving the government access to citizens' library records, and a coalition of liberal and conservative groups complained that the Patriot Act gives the government too much authority to snoop into Americans' private lives.

Read more: http://www.military.com/news/article/obama-wants-to-extend-patriot-act-provisions.html?ESRC=eb.nl

---

Wow..
Is it just me or are we getting another 4 years of Bush with a different face?

Please don't give me the, you don't agree with Obama you must be a racist card.
I didn't agree when Bush did it and I thought Obama was going to bring change.

I don't see change here, I see the same.

And to think I used to argue with McCain supporters and call McCain "McSame"
Unbelievable!

I guess I should have supported Ron Paul instead!

[Ian David]

85. It's funny, because right-wing blogs are complaining about what he wants to let expire. n/t

[NewAgeThinker]

86. There are no wings and there is no spoon!

Forget left wing or right wing.
These only serve as delimiters to thought!

It's like, are you on this side of the fence or that side?
No, those aren't the only sides, don't let them fool you.

Why is limbaugh still alive?

[Ian David]

87. Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway? n/t

[WatchWhatISay]

90. Good point. Perspective is missing here

We should also be made aware of what he is not renewing.

[SlingBlade]

88. Ron Paul ? The Republican ?

Why, Have you ever considered the world that Paul and his cronies would create ?

Frustration is in order, But insanity is not the answer

[WatchWhatISay]

91. "Frustration is in order, But insanity is not the answer"

Yes, indeed. Let us let that be the difference between the liberals and conservatives.

[Ian David]

92. I would sooner vote for Jonathon Sharkey than Ron Paul. n/t

[spotbird]

89. Wow. nt

[elocs]

93. Sad, simply sad, but Ron Paul is a nutjob.

Unless, of course, you want to cherry-pick his ideas with which you agree.

[NewAgeThinker]

94. Cherry pick?

As if you agree with ALL of Obama's views and policies.
Ron Paul wants to end the FED and stop the global empire which is bankrupting this nation.

He wins by default!

[elocs]

96. Any comparison of Obama and Ron Paul is simply bizarre.

DU is a discussion board for those of us who support Democrats. Take the Ron Paul crap elsewhere. I wouldn't support him anymore than I would support Rush Limbaugh.

[Treo]

95. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss NT