Congress gave a one month supply of oxygen to the Patriot Act today after the Senate gave it six. This was a compromise from the president and House Republicans in hopes of getting the provisions made permanent. A number of folks in the Senate backed down so they could have time to "study" the act more fully to make sure no civil liberties were being infringed up on.

The problem we run into is the very existance if the act infringes upon our civil liberties. What some people seem not to get is that the sole purpose of government is to take away our natural rights. It's part of the social contract theory that our country was initially built upon. We just come far enough along that many of our natural rights are gone and we're losing more frequently. We must fight to keep the ones we do have lest they all dissappear completely. This is from the AP.

WASHINGTON - Congress on Thursday approved a one-month extension of the Patriot Act and sent it to President Bush in a pre-Christmas scramble to prevent many of its anti-terrorism provisions from expiring Dec. 31.


The Senate, with only Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), R-Va., present, approved the Feb. 3 expiration date four hours after the House, with a nearly empty chamber, bowed to Rep. James Sensenbrenner's refusal to agree to a six-month extension.

Congress can pass legislation with only a few lawmakers present as long as no member of the House or Senate objects. The Senate session lasted four minutes.

Sensenbrenner, chairman of the
House Judiciary Committee, said the shorter extension would force swifter Senate action and had the support of the White House and Speaker
Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. The Senate reconvenes Jan. 18 and the House Jan. 26.

"A six-month extension, in my opinion, would have simply allowed the Senate to duck the issue until the last week in June," the Wisconson Republican told reporters.

I recognize certain protections must be in place. I realize some actually want to do us harm. We must be defended from that but I also think that limits should be place on the our government's authority to do all these things. I never thought in my lifetime that I would be arguing for limiting government but then again, for the longest time I didn't believe they were necessarily evil. Now I know so.

posted by Stithmeister @ 12:25 AM
 
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