Patriot Act = Police State

[KC]

12/07/2005 - WASHINGTON - House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement Thursday to extend the USA Patriot Act, the government's premier anti-terrorism law, before it expires at the end of the month. But a Democratic senator threatened a filibuster to block the compromise.

I will do everything I can, including a filibuster, to stop this Patriot Act conference report, which does not include adequate safeguards to protect our constitutional freedoms," said Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis., who was the only senator to vote against the original version of the Patriot Act.

====> Wow an actual Senator that thought about the Constitution and the American People first.<====

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., announced that the negotiating committee had reached an agreement that would extend for four years two of the Patriot Act's most controversial provisions — authorizing roving wiretaps and permitting secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries. Those provisions would expire in four years unless Congress acted on them again.

=====> Abusing secret wiretaps and secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries. I bet you that Hitler has a big ass grin on his face right now.<===

"All factors considered it's reasonably good, not perfect, but it's acceptable," Specter said of the agreement.

Also to be extended for four years are standards for monitoring "lone wolf" terrorists who may be operating independent of a foreign agent or power. While not part of the Patriot Act, officials considered that along with the Patriot Act provisions.

====> What the hell are the "standards" for monitoring a "Lone Wolf"? How does the government determine exactly who is a "Lone Wolf"? I Guess it could be anyone they pick?<====

The Republican-controlled House had been pushing for those provisions to stay in effect as long as a decade, but negotiators decided to go with the GOP-controlled Senate's suggestion.

Most of the Patriot Act would become permanent under the reauthorization.

The White House applauded the agreement.

"The Patriot Act is critical to winning the war on terrorism," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "The president urges both houses of Congress to act promptly to pass this critical piece of legislation."

====>"The Patriot Act is critical to winning the war on terrorism," This is total Bullshit! This is like the "drug Bill" passed back in the 80's. It's to steal money, property, freedom and rights from innocent American Citizens. I suggest you do your research and see what all "Freedom & Rights" have been stolen from you, from that drug law. The Government is known to take away your rights a little from you at a time, so that you don't notice and it will all be done in the name of God or for your protection. That's B.S.! If We the People let this pass into a law which means it's "permanent," we will be ruining this county for our children and their children. They will never know pleasures of what it's like to have such Freedom and Rights and live in such a great country as we live in now.<====

Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada intends to vote against the measure as currently drafted, according to an aide.

Feingold and five other senators from both parties issued a statement that said, "We believe this conference report will not be able to get through the Senate." They said they wouldn't support it in any form.

The other senators are Republicans Larry Craig of Idaho, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Ken Salazar of Colorado.

====> Republican or Democrat I don't care who you are, just don't let this bill pass! You signed no agreement with your "party" to go by their beliefs or do as tell to. You got voted into officer from "We the People" and you pledge to uphold the American Constitution and not what your "party affiliate" says. Don't you ever forget that!<====


Feingold issued a separate statement threatening a filibuster, a stalling technique designed to block the measure from coming to a final vote.

It takes 60 senators to overcome a filibuster in the 100-member Senate.

"I don't think there will be a filibuster," Specter said. "I don't think it will succeed if there is one."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said the deal should satisfy everyone. "This agreement both preserves the provisions that have made America safer since 9/11 and increases congressional and judicial oversight, which should alleviate the concerns of those who believe the law enforcement tools endanger civil liberties," he said.

====>Sen. John Cornyn is only a Jr. in the Senate and is a puppet and kisses President Bush's ass. Sen. John Cornyn was 1 of 9 Senators to vote for good old American Christian TORTURE! He's just reading what Rove sends him. No real back bone on that guy.<====

But the American Civil Liberties Union immediately denounced the deal, calling on lawmakers to reject the legislation because it intrudes too far into the privacy of innocent Americans.

"This sham compromise agreement fails to address the primary substantive concern raised by millions of Americans, as well as civil liberties, privacy and business organizations and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and in both chambers," said Caroline Fredrickson, the ACLU's Washington legislative office director.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, has not yet decided whether to support the agreement, a spokesman said. But the GOP-majority negotiating committee has enough votes to send the House and Senate the compromise if all of the Republican negotiators agree to it.

The Senate is expected to vote on the compromise next week, Specter said. That would give them enough time to deal with any filibuster threats before the Patriot Act provisions expire on Dec. 31.

Congress overwhelmingly passed the Patriot Act after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The law expanded the government's surveillance and prosecutorial powers against suspected terrorists, their associates and financiers.

===> Congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex) told the Washington Times that no member of Congress was allowed to read the first Patriot Act that was passed by the House on October 27, 2001 <===

The compromise also makes changes to national security letters, an investigative tool used by the FBI to compel businesses to turn over customer information without a court order or grand jury subpoena.

Under the agreement, the reauthorization specifies that an NSL can be reviewed by a court, and explicitly allows those who receive the letters to inform their lawyers about them.

[WaTcHeR]

Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither." ~ Benjamin Franklin

[SIEG HEIL FUR DER REICHFUHRER]

The Defense Department has expanded its programs aimed at gathering and analyzing intelligence within the United States, creating new agencies, adding personnel and seeking additional legal authority for domestic security activities in the post-9/11 world.

The moves have taken place on several fronts. The White House is considering expanding the power of a little-known Pentagon agency called the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA, which was created three years ago. The proposal, made by a presidential commission, would transform CIFA from an office that coordinates Pentagon security efforts -- including protecting military facilities from attack -- to one that also has authority to investigate crimes within the United States such as treason, foreign or terrorist sabotage or even economic espionage.

The Pentagon has pushed legislation on Capitol Hill that would create an intelligence exception to the Privacy Act, allowing the FBI and others to share information gathered about U.S. citizens with the Pentagon, CIA and other intelligence agencies, as long as the data is deemed to be related to foreign intelligence. Backers say the measure is needed to strengthen investigations into terrorism or weapons of mass destruction.

The proposals, and other Pentagon steps aimed at improving its ability to analyze counterterrorism intelligence collected inside the United States, have drawn complaints from civil liberties advocates and a few members of Congress, who say the Defense Department's push into domestic collection is proceeding with little scrutiny by the Congress or the public.

"We are deputizing the military to spy on law-abiding Americans in America. This is a huge leap without even a [congressional] hearing," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a recent interview.

Wyden has since persuaded lawmakers to change the legislation, attached to the fiscal 2006 intelligence authorization bill, to address some of his concerns, but he still believes hearings should be held. Among the changes was the elimination of a provision to let Defense Intelligence Agency officers hide the fact that they work for the government when they approach people who are possible sources of intelligence in the United States.

Modifications also were made in the provision allowing the FBI to share information with the Pentagon and CIA, requiring the approval of the director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, for that to occur, and requiring the Pentagon to make reports to Congress on the subject. Wyden said the legislation "now strikes a much fairer balance by protecting critical rights for our country's citizens and advancing intelligence operations to meet our security needs."

Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies, said the data-sharing amendment would still give the Pentagon much greater access to the FBI's massive collection of data, including information on citizens not connected to terrorism or espionage.

The measure, she said, "removes one of the few existing privacy protections against the creation of secret dossiers on Americans by government intelligence agencies." She said the Pentagon's "intelligence agencies are quietly expanding their domestic presence without any public debate."

Lt. Col. Chris Conway, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said that the most senior Defense Department intelligence officials are aware of the sensitivities related to their expanded domestic activities. At the same time, he said, the Pentagon has to have the intelligence necessary to protect its facilities and personnel at home and abroad.

"In the age of terrorism," Conway said, "the U.S. military and its facilities are targets, and we have to be prepared within our authorities to defend them before something happens."

Among the steps already taken by the Pentagon that enhanced its domestic capabilities was the establishment after 9/11 of Northern Command, or Northcom, in Colorado Springs, to provide military forces to help in reacting to terrorist threats in the continental United States. Today, Northcom's intelligence centers in Colorado and Texas fuse reports from CIFA, the FBI and other U.S. agencies, and are staffed by 290 intelligence analysts. That is more than the roughly 200 analysts working for the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and far more than those at the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition, each of the military services has begun its own post-9/11 collection of domestic intelligence, primarily aimed at gathering data on potential terrorist threats to bases and other military facilities at home and abroad. For example, Eagle Eyes is a program set up by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, which "enlists the eyes and ears of Air Force members and citizens in the war on terror," according to the program's Web site.

The Marine Corps has expanded its domestic intelligence operations and developed internal policies in 2004 to govern oversight of the "collection, retention and dissemination of information concerning U.S. persons," according to a Marine Corps order approved on April 30, 2004.

The order recognizes that in the post-9/11 era, the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity will be "increasingly required to perform domestic missions," and as a result, "there will be increased instances whereby Marine intelligence activities may come across information regarding U.S. persons." Among domestic targets listed are people in the United States who it "is reasonably believed threaten the physical security of Defense Department employees, installations, operations or official visitors."

Perhaps the prime illustration of the Pentagon's intelligence growth is CIFA, which remains one of its least publicized intelligence agencies. Neither the size of its staff, said to be more than 1,000, nor its budget is public, said Conway, the Pentagon spokesman. The CIFA brochure says the agency's mission is to "transform" the way counterintelligence is done "fully utilizing 21st century tools and resources."

One CIFA activity, threat assessments, involves using "leading edge information technologies and data harvesting," according to a February 2004 Pentagon budget document. This involves "exploiting commercial data" with the help of outside contractors including White Oak Technologies Inc. of Silver Spring, and MZM Inc., a Washington-based research organization, according to the Pentagon document.

For CIFA, counterintelligence involves not just collecting data but also "conducting activities to protect DoD and the nation against espionage, other intelligence activities, sabotage, assassinations, and terrorist activities," its brochure states.

CIFA's abilities would increase considerably under the proposal being reviewed by the White House, which was made by a presidential commission on intelligence chaired by retired appellate court judge Laurence H. Silberman and former senator Charles S. Robb (D-Va.). The commission urged that CIFA be given authority to carry out domestic criminal investigations and clandestine operations against potential threats inside the United States.

The Silberman-Robb panel found that because the separate military services concentrated on investigations within their areas, "no entity views non-service-specific and department-wide investigations as its primary responsibility." A 2003 Defense Department directive kept CIFA from engaging in law enforcement activities such as "the investigation, apprehension, or detention of individuals suspected or convicted of criminal offenses against the laws of the United States."

The commission's proposal would change that, giving CIFA "new counterespionage and law enforcement authorities," covering treason, espionage, foreign or terrorist sabotage, and even economic espionage. That step, the panel said, could be taken by presidential order and Pentagon directive without congressional approval.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the CIFA expansion "is being studied at the DoD [Defense Department] level," adding that intelligence director Negroponte would have a say in the matter. A Pentagon spokesman said, "The [CIFA] matter is before the Hill committees."

Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a recent interview that CIFA has performed well in the past and today has no domestic intelligence collection activities. He was not aware of moves to enhance its authority.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has not had formal hearings on CIFA or other domestic intelligence programs, but its staff has been briefed on some of the steps the Pentagon has already taken. "If a member asks the chairman" -- Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) -- for hearings, "I am sure he would respond," said Bill Duhnke, the panel's staff director.

[WaTcHeR]

~~~ AD ~~~

Need a better job? Looking for a better job ? Does your present job give you trouble, specially from your police chief who keeps hounding you about all the police misconduct that has scared your record? Would you like to be in an elite group, thinking you're serving your country? Do you look good in black ski mask? Did you ever wonder what your neighbors are up to? Want to use sophisticated surveillance equipment, to investigate and gather intelligence on innocent civilians? Are you inrested in learning new ways to extract information from people?

Do you believe that the "Bill of Rights" is out dated and only used by Liberals? Then come join the new AMERICA GESTAPO!

There is advancement in such agencies such as the "Homeland Third Reich" and other Federal Agencies that are wasting taxpayers monies and have no intentions of actually protecting the public.

* Please don't apply if your beliefs are based on such useless documents such as the American Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Although "brain washing" classes are available.

I write this satire because in my community there has been 4 officers from two different agencies quit to go to work for the "Homeland Security." Since I know 3 of 4 of those officers personally and I'm sitting here reading their "Internal Affairs" report from citizens filing police misconduct on several of these officers over a period of time. I'm glad that they are out of my community or in the process of packing and moving away. With their Gestapo tactics that I'm familiar with, I'm sure they will fit in just well with the new "Homeland Third Reich."

PATRIOT ACT WAS DRAFTED BY HITLER AND PUT TO USE BY PRESIDENT BUSH

[WaTcHeR]

"Responsible armed and prepared citizens who can safely and properly use their firearms are MUCH harder to victimize."

[Loozyun]

BUSH/HITLER DECREE

Since public safety and order in the United States of America has been materially disturbed or endangered, the President may take the necessary measures to restore public safety and order, and, if necessary, to intervene with the help of the armed forces. To this end he has temporarily suspended, in whole or in part, the fundamental rights established in Articles 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the original ten Amendments to the United States Constitution, ratified on the fifteenth day of December, 1791.

Further, in virtue of the original ten Amendments to the United States Constitution, the following is decreed as a defensive measure against Terrorist Acts of Violence, endangering the state:

Articles 1 and 4 of the Amendments to the United States Constitution are suspended until further notice.

Thus, restrictions on personal liberty, including the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press, the right of assembly and the right of association [Article 1], and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic, telephonic (including cell phones), Internet, and all other communications, warrants for house-searches, and orders for confiscation as well as restrictions on property [Article 4], are now permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.


Article 48 of the German Constitution of August 11, 1919:

If public safety and order in Germany are materially disturbed or endangered, the President may take the necessary measures to restore public safety and order, and, if necessary, to intervene with the help of the armed forces. To this end he may temporarily suspend, in whole or in part, the fundamental rights established in Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124, and 153.

February 28, 1933 Decree of Adolf Hitler

ARTICLE 1. In virtue of paragraph 2, article 48,* of the German Constitution, the following is decreed as a defensive measure against communist acts of violence, endangering the state:

Sections 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124, and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich are suspended until further notice. Thus, restrictions on personal liberty [114], on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press [118], on the right of assembly and the right of association [124], and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic, and telephonic communications [117], and warrants for house-searches [115], orders for confiscation as well as restrictions on property [153], are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.

[WaTcHeR]

Be ashamed of what you let the Republican and Democratic parties do to America!

It's not against the law to vote all those corrupt bastard out!!!!!

Think about it!!!

[hadenuff]

It would send the elite rulers a message if all of America refused to vote FOR any incumbent. One term, out you go. I add this: Never vote FOR any tax (local, state, etc.). If we all refused to allow further taxation and threw out all incumbents, maybe we'd have their attention.

Believe it or not, I would chunk my party affiliation in a heartbeat for any party that would make good on their promise to leave my 2nd Amendment alone and restore the spirit of the Constitution. Think of our rights as a bank vault. There is a door that locks, and shelves and compartments on the inside. The doorlock is the 2nd Amendment, the shelves and compartments are Freedom of Speech. They protect the other rights, which are the valuables in the vault. Without those two, you might as well store the valuables in a box on your porch.

And I think it ought to be expressly legal for an American Citizen to use deadly force to protect himself from LEOs breaking in under a "no Knock" warrant or without trying first to present a legal, signed, above-board warrant. No secret warrants or the citizen cannot be held liable for your death. Anyone kicking in the door of a citizen's dwelling should be at risk of destruction; badge or no badge.

[act]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 ­- Months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government officials.

Under a presidential order signed in 2002, the intelligence agency has monitored the international telephone calls and international e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States without warrants over the past three years in an effort to track possible "dirty numbers" linked to Al Qaeda, the officials said. The agency, they said, still seeks warrants to monitor entirely domestic communications.

The previously undisclosed decision to permit some eavesdropping inside the country without court approval represents a major shift in American intelligence-gathering practices, particularly for the National Security Agency, whose mission is to spy on communications abroad. As a result, some officials familiar with the continuing operation have questioned whether the surveillance has stretched, if not crossed, constitutional limits on legal searches.

"This is really a sea change," said a former senior official who specializes in national security law. "It's almost a mainstay of this country that the N.S.A. only does foreign searches."

Nearly a dozen current and former officials, who were granted anonymity because of the classified nature of the program, discussed it with reporters for The New York Times because of their concerns about the operation's legality and oversight.

According to those officials and others, reservations about aspects of the program have also been expressed by Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, the West Virginia Democrat who is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and a judge presiding over a secret court that oversees intelligence matters. Some of the questions about the agency's new powers led the administration to temporarily suspend the operation last year and impose more restrictions, the officials said.

[ant]

"It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."

[CC]

Dec. 07, 2005 - WASHINGTON - Michael Schiavo, whose effort to end life support for his brain-damaged wife divided a nation, is starting a political action committee that will challenge candidates based on where they stand on government's reach in private lives.

Nine months after a fierce political and legal fight over Terri Schiavo, Michael Schiavo said his experience with political leaders "has opened my eyes to just how easily the private wishes of normal Americans like me and Terri can be cast aside in a destructive game of political pandering."

Schiavo described himself as a lifelong Republican "before Republicans pushed the power of government into my private family decisions."

The political action committee, TerriPAC, will raise and spend money on Florida candidates as well as those running for Congress.

Terri Schiavo suffered a brain injury in 1990 that left her in what some doctors called a "persistent vegetative state." Her parents sought to keep her feeding tube in place while her husband pushed to have it removed, citing her wishes and setting off a bitter court battle.

Congress, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his brother, President Bush, all tried to have the feeding tube reinserted. Schiavo died on March 31.

[Dust and Bones]

The unconstitutional collection of Data that has absolutely nothing to do with The War On Terrorism.

Both Parties are allowing your Government to collect Data on the American People via the provisions that the article is talking about.

BOTH PARTIES are allowing this to take place! And which party do you stand by?

[Administrator]

Senate Blocks Extension of Patriot Act

The Senate today rejected attempts to reauthorize several provisions of the USA Patriot Act as infringing too much on Americans' privacy, dealing a major defeat to President Bush and Republican leaders.

Whoa what a day! Talk about check and balances in our Government at work

I applaud those Senators today for standing up for the true America Patriots of our country! The real American Patriots are the ones that doesn't need our government in our bed rooms, on our phones, in our mail, or anywhere else they think they can steal our rights.

The final vote was 52-47 and yes I will be back soon to "bash" those unpatriotic Senators that have no respect for the Constitution or it's citizens.

Oh what's that smell? Election time is rounding the corner.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Also out today-

Report of NSA Spying Prompts Call for Probe

Seems Bush and Co. have been put on notice that a panel would hold hearings into a report that the National Security Agency eavesdropped without warrants on people inside the United.

This can't be right? Our own government breaking the law?

[WaTcHeR]

The patriot act is not meant to protect America, but rather it is meant to scare the citizens.

People, this is our fault. We elected those in office and supported them when our rights were stolen.

If you aren't frightened of government power, you should be. Even Rush Limbaugh, Mr. Conservative USA, says the police investigating his drug addiction have excessive power.

America is about Power to the People.

We have to get it back!

Oppose the patriot act. Oppose wars of choice, and invasions of privacy.

Keep our tax dollars here to save for health care, roads, schools and diplomacy.

Keep the government quiet, humble and small.

Those are real conservative values.

[tm]

Wind blows back and the batons charging
It winds all the way
Right to the butt of my gun
Maybe now your time has come

From the back streets there’s a rumblin’
Smell of anarchy
No more nice time, bright boy shoe shines
Pie in the sky dreams

[mariecribari]

This is the most dangerous piece of legislation in our country's history.

The NRA are usually conservatives and even they oppose this blatant grab by the conservatives for ultimate power. Our children are dying to promote the freedoms being stripped away right here at home.

This is absurd but stand up and truly get a large number of people to begin to see how dangerous this crew really is and just watch how fast they use this "Patriot Act against you.

You'll dissappear and that's not paranoia that's the truth...

[WaTcHeR]

Were getting the shaft again America!

Even I was wondering why all the sudden President Bush was doing a "180" and now going along with Senators McCain's bill against torture. First Bush was for torture and threatened to get his way with his veto power. Now it's like he's slept on it and now he feels like America should set an example and be a humane country and not stoop to a level of a terrorist. Did someone talk to him in a dream or some vision perhaps?

Well a friend of mine says it's very simple to explain. What he knows or heard is that the "Pentagon" has gone and changed the definition of what torture is and what all can and can't be considered means of torture. So another words the government has gone and changed the wording in the military regulations! This means that the McCain's bill is pretty much a worthless piece of paper.

Bush isn't a ignorant guy or maybe he has help being cunning. But it seems like whatever this guy wants, he's going to take it one way or another from us.

[planbfrommars]

The Bill of Rights was created by our forefathers to protect us from government. That was their way of fighting terrorism. I trust the wisdom of people like Jefferson and Franklin over the incompetence of Bush and Cheney.

The patriot act is nothing but an attempt by these flops to keep Americans from voicing their indignation over their handling of the war on terror.

[Administrator]

The following "unpatriotic" Senators voted to continue taking away American's freedoms and rights.

YEAs ---52

Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ) <<--- ?
McConnell (R-KY)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

The following "patriotic" Senators voted to give back freedom and rights to Americans.

NAYs ---47

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Clinton (D-NY)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Craig (R-ID)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Sununu (R-NH)
Wyden (D-OR)


Not Voting - 1

Dodd (D-CT)

[Administrator]

Sixteen provisions of the USA Patriot Act expire December 31, 2005 if not renewed by Congress:

Section 201: Gives federal officials the authority to intercept wire, spoken and electronic communications relating to terrorism.

Section 202: Gives federal officials the authority to intercept wire, spoken and electronic communications relating to computer fraud and abuse offenses.

Subsection 203(b): Permits the sharing of grand jury information that involves foreign intelligence or counterintelligence with federal law enforcement, intelligence, protective, immigration, national defense or national security officials

Subsection 203(d): Gives foreign intelligence or counterintelligence officers the ability to share foreign intelligence information obtained as part of a criminal investigation with law enforcement.

Section 204: Makes clear that nothing in the law regarding pen registers -- an electronic device which records all numbers dialed from a particular phone line -- stops the government's ability to obtain foreign intelligence information.

Section 206: Allows federal officials to issue roving "John Doe" wiretaps for spy and anti-terrorism investigations.

Section 207: Increases the amount of time that federal officials may watch people they suspect are spies or terrorists.

Section 209: Permits the seizure of voicemail messages under a warrant.

Section 212: Permits Internet service providers and other electronic communication and remote computing service providers to hand over records and e-mails to federal officials in emergency situations.

Section 214: Allows use of a pen register or trap and trace devices -- a device that records the originating phone numbers of all incoming calls on a particular phone line -- in international terrorism or spy investigations.

Section 215: Authorizes federal officials to obtain "tangible items" like business records, including those from libraries and bookstores, for foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations.

Section 217: Makes it lawful to intercept the wire or electronic communication of a computer hacker or intruder in certain circumstances.

Section 218: Allows federal officials to wiretap or watch suspects if foreign intelligence gathering is a "significant purpose" for seeking a Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act order. The pre-Patriot Act standard said officials could ask for the surveillance only if it was "the" sole or main purpose.

Section 220: Provides for nationwide service of search warrants for electronic evidence.

Section 223: Amends the federal criminal code to provide for administrative discipline of federal officers or employees who violate prohibitions against unauthorized disclosures of information gathered under this act.

Section 225: Amends FISA to prohibit lawsuits against people or companies that provide information to federal officials for a terrorism investigation.