Obama signs one-year extension of Patriot Act

[Acturus]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...rmAoAD9E4QD501

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the nation's main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act.

Provisions in the measure would have expired on Sunday without Obama's signature Saturday.

The act, which was adopted in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, expands the government's ability to monitor Americans in the name of national security.

Three sections of the Patriot Act that stay in force will:

_Authorize court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones.

_Allow court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations.

_Permit surveillance against a so-called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen engaged in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group.

Obama's signature comes after the House voted 315 to 97 Thursday to extend the measure.

The Senate also approved the measure, with privacy protections cast aside when Senate Democrats lacked the necessary 60-vote supermajority to pass them. Thrown away were restrictions and greater scrutiny on the government's authority to spy on Americans and seize their records.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

This was mentioned as a "quiet event over the weekend" on the radio this morning. I didn't see anything on the first page, but I apologize if the news was thrown into another thread.

It seems innocuous, but I've never read the Patriot Act, so I don't know what the blurb isn't telling us.

[test123]

dems, reps everything is the same. Do you think you have a choice america? here is your fking choice, PAPER OR PLASTIC? ASSHOLE

[Qalbert]

i think you need to choose to calm the feck down

[Tyche]

The other morgan freeman avatar was better =/

[test123]

emphasis on ASSHOLE with a George Carlin voice

[Acturus]

emphasis on ASSHOLE with a George Carlin voice

It felt more like Lewis Black on a coke binge to me, sorry.

[Qalbert]

The other morgan freeman avatar was better =/

I will be rotating them to support both beard month and slant month.

edit: oho I can make a gif slideshow

[Olo401]

Extremely disappointed that this was renewed without serious revisions.

[test123]

[Beckwin]

this sucks, but I can't help but notice how GOPers decided to make it suck more than necessary.

tired of the dems being the only party that will compromise. time to say fuck it and push everything through on reconciliation/not pass anything that the GOP wants.

[Alleya]

this sucks, but I can't help but notice how GOPers decided to make it suck more than necessary.

tired of the dems being the only party that will compromise. time to say fuck it and push everything through on reconciliation/not pass anything that the GOP wants.

A thin line between being willing to compromise and just being plain spineless. I lean towards the latter.

[Beckwin]

democrats need to radically reframe all salient political issues.

imagine the current prospect of having to run a campaign and some teabagger rhetorician screaming "HE DOESNT WANT TO KEEP US SAFE FROM TERRUSTS! REMEMBER THE CHRISTMAS AIRLINE BOMBER?!?!?!"

[ZarakiKujata]

democrats need to radically reframe all salient political issues.

imagine the current prospect of having to run a campaign and some teabagger rhetorician screaming "HE DOESNT WANT TO KEEP US SAFE FROM TERRUSTS! REMEMBER THE CHRISTMAS AIRLINE BOMBER?!?!?!"

>Implying democrats know anything about how to frame political issues

[Omnipotent]

I have nothing to hide, bring it on. The fact is, the government has managed to stop multiple terrorist attacks already because of this act, your privacy is being taken away? I'm willing to let SOME of my privacy be taken away, at the expense of saving peoples lives.

[ZarakiKujata]

I have nothing to hide, bring it on.

Dumbest fucking argument ever.

[Alleya]

I have nothing to hide, bring it on. The fact is, the government has managed to stop multiple terrorist attacks already because of this act, your privacy is being taken away? I'm willing to let SOME of my privacy be taken away, at the expense of saving peoples lives.

When they're sending innocent people to foreign countries to be tortured, I think you have plenty to be worried about regardless of having nothing to hide.

A terrorist who's so good that we don't have anything on them is the most dangerous kind!

[Rhyis.]

I miss George. RIP

When they're sending innocent people to foreign countries to be tortured, I think you have plenty to be worried about regardless of having nothing to hide.

A terrorist who's so good that we don't have anything on them is the most dangerous kind!

Yeah... I'm still angry about that 15 year old Canadian kid that was sent to Guantánamo. Think he's like 23 now.

"Your fathers a terrurst, you must be too even though you've never met the guy!" ... Fuck.

[Demosthenes11]

this sucks, but I can't help but notice how GOPers decided to make it suck more than necessary.

tired of the dems being the only party that will compromise. time to say fuck it and push everything through on reconciliation/not pass anything that the GOP wants.

you live in a fairy tale land man lol
democrats "disagree" with the GOP publically on this stuff to garner support amongst constituents to get elected. Once in office, status quo. It's not the GOPs fault the party you love supports the patriot act.

[Priran]

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/854...tshyamalan.jpg

[Leif]

Even the Democrats think it's needed. Even though they don't really care about national security, if they don't pass it, they know they will be blamed if a terrorist attack goes through. Republicans pass it to save lives and Democrats pass it to save their own asses.