Tentative Deal Is Reached on Patriot Act

[cal04]

A band of Senate Republican holdouts reached agreement with the White House Thursday on minor changes in the Patriot Act, hoping to clear the way for passage of anti-terror legislation that has been stalled in a dispute over protection of civil liberties. Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., and three other GOP lawmakers -- all of whom joined with Democrats last year to block a long-term extension of the law -- were to announce their accord with the administration in a late-afternoon news conference.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan pre-empted them, saying the changes ''continue to build upon the civil liberties protections that are in place but do so in a way that doesn't compromise our national security priorities.''
''We're pleased that this important legislation is moving forward,'' he said. There was no immediate reaction from House Republicans, although several GOP officials said key lawmakers had been informed of the proposed changes.
One GOP official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the legislation had been rewritten to make it clear that an individual receiving a so-called National Security Letter was not required to notify the FBI if he consulted a lawyer.

This official also said a second proposed change would clarify that only libraries that are ''electronic service providers'' could be required to provide information to government agents as part of a terrorist investigation. A GOP agreement would put Senate Democrats in a politically difficult position of deciding whether to renew their filibuster on an issue of national security -- an area where polling shows them trailing Bush and the Republicans.

Two Democrats swiftly denounced the GOP agreement, saying it fell short of what was needed. Sen. Russell Feingold of Wisconsin said, ''The few minor changes that the White House agreed to do not address the major problems with the Patriot Act that a bipartisan coalition has been trying to fix.'' Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, accused the White House of ''naysaying and partisanship.'' Still, Leahy's statement stopped well short of joining in Feingold's threat to renew a filibuster that stopped passage of the legislation last year.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Patriot-Act.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[Warpy]

1. Right wing window dressing

combined with a fake terror plot are this bunch's hope for getting this stinker extended indefinitely, thus extending Stupid's dictatorship powers.

We've got to get these bastards out of office.

[Boo Boo]

2. What about the Secret Police provision?

Bush should not be given his own police force. No way. No how.

[hootinholler]

4. It's not a new Police force...

It moves an existing force (SSUD) under DHS nad allows it to have jurisdiction over road shows. Now moving SS out from under the Treasury Dept. is a bad idea.

-Hoot

[Marleyb]

9. It is an expansion...arrests without warrant, commandeering local police..

Ed Shultz has actually been talking about this on his show...

but how do they explain it?

the changes "continue to build upon the civil liberties protections that are in place but do so in a way that doesn't compromise our national security priorities"

How do they figure that?

[CornField]

3. Extend the Patriot Act, as is, until January 2007

Then we can be rid of it.

[Catrina]

5. But before we get rid of it, we can use it to deal with those who had

dealings with terrorist organizations, such as::


David Safavian, Bush's appointee as Director of Procurement, recently arrested and charged with lying to federal agents in the Abramoff affairs.

Very, very interesting information here ~ and yet, he was confirmed, despite his terror connections:

Terrorist ties

Safavian has been accused of working as a lobbyist for Abdurahman Alamoudi, a fierce supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah.

At his Senate confirmation hearing in April 2004, Safavian said that "To my knowledge, neither I nor Janus-Merritt did any work for Mr. Alamoudi." "I do not know why Mr. Alamoudi was erroneously listed in the client's lobby disclosure forms." More, "I do not believe Janus-Merritt received any funds from Mr. Alamoudi."

But, according to Senate disclosure reports on file, this was incorrect. For years Janus-Merritt registered as a lobbyist for Alamoudi. And then, on December 17, 2001, after Safavian had left the firm, Janus-Merritt resubmitted its disclosure forms. This time the name of Alamoudi had been replaced by the name of Dr. Jamal al Barzinji. Why the firm changed its registration is unknown.

For his part, Safavian told the Senate, al Barzinji, not Alamoudi, was his client. "Dr. Jamal al Barzinji," he said, "should have been listed as the client retaining the firm for work related to Malaysian political prisoner Anwar Ibrahim." In fact, Barzinji had been listed as a contact, not a client, on all the disclosure forms.

The replacement name is also problematical. On March 20, 2002, Barzinji's home was raided by a federal task force investigating terrorist finances. A federal affidavit identifies Barzinji as the ringleader of a group suspected of aiding terrorists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Safavian


You can't make this stuff up. While Safavian is under indictment this is what his wife does!! If it weren't all so tragic, it would be incredibly comical ~


Safavian's wife Jennifer Safavian is chief counsel for oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee.

[annabanana]

6. what about "disruptors" in "areas of Nat'l Interest"

or whatever the f*ck that was..
That's the one that will have people rounded up wholesale during demonstrations. That's the one that makes me nervous.

[mmonk]

7. Has it been explained to the people and asked them for consent?

It seems that IF this is a democracy, those that are to lose rights for any extended period of time should be consulted.

[Marleyb]

8. Was the nerve gas a coincidence?