Start bugging your reps now
Bush, apparently realizing Saturday is not a big news day, is urging congress to renew the Patriot Act, which is set to expire next year:
“Key elements of the Patriot Act are set to expire next year,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “Some politicians in Washington act as if the threat to America will also expire on that schedule.”
Although it was supported by a large majority of lawmakers when it came up for a vote in Congress in the weeks after the attacks, the Patriot Act has become controversial.
Opponents fear it may give federal agents too much power, for example to invade privacy with provisions such as those that make it easier to tap telephone conversations.
But the president accused those who would allow the law to lapse of having “willful blindness” to the terrorist threat.
April 17th, 2004 at 1:35 pm
He’s been repeating that off and on for several months now.
Maybe this time around some of the Congresscritters will actually take a look at what they are voting on and fix it.
April 18th, 2004 at 8:45 pm
Did you guys see Janet Reno endorse the Patriot Act during her testimony. She says most people don’t know what it really does, and attribute civil liberty problems to it when it’s not really to blame.
I’m not saying she’s right, nor do I know enough about the Act to like or dislike it… just wondered if you guys caught that exchange.
April 18th, 2004 at 9:40 pm
Well, if Janet Reno says it’s OK…