The Patriot Act May Be Dead Forever

[mello]

Good comments:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/28/the-patriot-act-may-be-dead-for-good.html

[Ronin Truth]

Burn in hell.

One down, a bazillion to go.

[twomp]

Looks like Senator Mike Lee might be turning towards the dark side:


Senator Mike Lee, who also supports the Freedom Act, shared that sentiment. “There were members who voted for the USA Freedom Act who would feel differently about reinstating those provisions” once they’ve lapsed, Lee told The Daily Beast. Lee said he was talking to colleagues this week to try to persuade them to support the bill before the clock runs out.

[65fastback2+2]

thought mike lee was supposed to be a good guy, smh

[hells_unicorn]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[robertwerden]

I love how, now when it is almost certain the 3 major parts that they have been screaming and fighting to keep are about to go away, they are only now saying "eh, we didn't need them any way"
Nice spin doctoring. But at least now when they say the loss of the Patriot act surveillance sections were not of much use, that also means they can't demigog against Rand for being instrumental in "Making America less safe"

[Rudeman]

Mike Lee supported the Freedom Act the entire time, also pretty sure Wyden does as well.

[twomp]

Schiff said it was easier to get lawmakers to support the Freedom Act with its changes to existing law than it would be to vote to re-enact law that had gone away.


Barring any last-minute compromises, powerful government surveillance authorities under the Patriot Act will expire at the stroke of midnight Monday. And they may never return.

This week, senators have been negotiating over whether to pass a House bill that would renew and tweak existing provisions in the long-controversial law, rather than let them “sunset” on June 1. But if the sunset comes and the provisions are off the books, lawmakers in both chambers would be facing a vote to reinstate controversial surveillance authorities, which is an entirely different political calculation.

Lawmakers may be unwilling to vote affirmatively for surveillance powers that many of them already dislike and have tried to rein in. “I think it is a real risk that if the provisions do expire, they would be more difficult to reinstate than to reform,” Representative Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told The Daily Beast.

Schiff supports the USA Freedom Act, which overwhelmingly passed the House but failed to muster enough votes in a midnight Senate session last Saturday. The bill would end the NSA’s collection of phone records in bulk, but leave intact other surveillance tools that, while not broadly popular, are less controversial.

Schiff said it was easier to get lawmakers to support the Freedom Act with its changes to existing law than it would be to vote to re-enact law that had gone away.

Senator Mike Lee, who also supports the Freedom Act, shared that sentiment. “There were members who voted for the USA Freedom Act who would feel differently about reinstating those provisions” once they’ve lapsed, Lee told The Daily Beast. Lee said he was talking to colleagues this week to try to persuade them to support the bill before the clock runs out.

There were members who voted for the USA Freedom Act who would feel differently about reinstating those provisions” once they’ve lapsed

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/28/the-patriot-act-may-be-dead-for-good.html

[RonPaulMall]

Article is misleading. Senate is going to just pass the House "Freedom Act" now and everything goes back to the way it was. House already passed it so nobody (in the House at least) is going to have to vote at all. Enjoy your half week of freedom. By Thursday or Friday it will be over.

[jj-]

Article is misleading. Senate is going to just pass the House "Freedom Act" now and everything goes back to the way it was. House already passed it so nobody (in the House at least) is going to have to vote at all. Enjoy your half week of freedom. By Thursday or Friday it will be over.

McConnell wants to pass it with amendments, so the House will have to vote on it again.

[twomp]

Article is misleading. Senate is going to just pass the House "Freedom Act" now and everything goes back to the way it was. House already passed it so nobody (in the House at least) is going to have to vote at all. Enjoy your half week of freedom. By Thursday or Friday it will be over.

Why Thursday or Friday? They will pass the Freedom Act tonight! IT would be awesome to get a few days of it but Rand Paul buckled.