A Few Short Paragraphs Regarding the Patriot Act Renewal

The Patriot Act renewed after President Bush signed legislation yesterday that extended two provisions and made 14 other provisions permenant.

I am amazed at the ferocity of opinion people - on both sides - have regarding the Patriot Act. Very few things can polarize the populace or charge up the emotions the way this Act does.

There are parts of the Act I detest. A lot of people complain that the Act will allow government to violate civil liberties. I don't agree. The government doesnt' need a Patriot Act to do this. Since the Civil War, Federal government has a track record of chipping away at our civil liberties. Since the 1960's, the government has recognized and aggressively promoted so-called liberties never written about in our Constitution or Bill of Rights. Any dangerous provisions in the Act will not change "business as usual" for the government. If there is a bright spot, it comes from our bastion of (anti-)freedom, Senator Russ Feingold, D-WI.

Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who led opposition to renewal, called the bill "deeply flawed."

"Today marks, sadly, a missed opportunity to protect both the national security needs of this country and the rights and freedoms of its citizens," he said in a statement.

Feingold vowed to continue efforts to enact more safeguards on civil liberties.

If our buddy from Wisconsin is against the Act, there must be something about it that is really, really good.

Patriot Act