LPA: The Congress today, during a committee meeting on renewing the most blatant attack on our Constitutional Rights that we as a nation have ever had to endure, has called for a compromise between the Democratic and Republican parties, that will enable the government to spy on anyone without a warrant whenever they choose. The headines on FOX NEWS were:
"Feingold Threatens to Filibuster Patriot Act".
Thank God that we have Senators like Russ Feingold. This Liberal Party of America will endorse Feingold for re-election, no matter who he runs against in any election, because of his freedom loving, common-sense, and loyalty to the United States of America and it's constitution.
"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 Fiengold, D-Wis., who was the only senator to vote against the original version of the Patriot Act.
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.
"We believe this conference report will not be able to get through the Senate," said a group of six senators, including Feingold, who have been working against the emerging deal. They said they will not 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.
It takes 60 senators to overcome a filibuster in the 100-member Senate.
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.
We here at the LPA call on all freedom loving Americans, to call and write their Congressmen and Senators, to recall this repugnant fascist law that the neo-cons call "The Patriot Act". Which is an oxmoron, for it's anything but.