[Peace-discuss] Obama & Democrats support Patriot Act

[C. G. Estabrook]

Why Do These 67 Dems Keep Voting with Mike Pence (R-IN) and GOP on Patriot Act?
Submitted by Ralph Lopez on Thu, 2011-02-10 00:50

With the political winds shifting and 26 Republicans, about half of them newly 
elected, now forming a 148 vote "pro-Constitution" block along with over 120 
Democrats, the hardcore gaggle of Democrats who keep voting with the likes of 
Michelle Bachmann (R-MN,) Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Mike Pence (R-IN) on 
Constitutional issues can be identified.

The principle of no search without a warrant from a judge, citing what you are 
looking for and probable cause, took a step toward being re-established last 
night, when extension of the Patriot Act failed, with a "do-over" vote expected 
as soon as tomorrow.  Everything which was predicted about the Patriot Act, that 
it would be abused and its use expanded beyond non-terrorism-related cases, has 
come true.

They didn't waste any time.  In 2003 federal agents in Las Vegas used the 
no-warrant provisions of the Patriot Act to bring charges in run-of-the-mill 
money laundering and political corruption cases not related to terrorism.  
Justice Department spokesman Mark Corrallo said:

     "The Patriot Act was not meant to be just for terrorism.  A lot of the 
uninformed criticism was obviously misplaced."

Now get out of my office before I arrest you.

About one of the main forms of abuse, the use of the FBI's self-written 
"national security letters" which can replace a judge's warrant, a 2008 
Washington Post article revealed that a report in 2006:

     disclosed that 60 percent of the nearly 50,000 security letters issued that 
year by the FBI targeted Americans...national security letters are approved only 
by FBI officials and are not subject to judicial approval; they routinely demand 
certain types of personal data, such as telephone, e-mail and financial records, 
while barring the recipient from disclosing that the information was requested 
or supplied.

     According to the findings by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. 
Fine, the FBI tried to work around the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, 
which oversees clandestine spying in the United States, after it twice rejected 
an FBI request in 2006 to obtain certain records. The court had concluded "the 
'facts' were too thin" and the "request implicated the target's First Amendment 
rights," the report said.

     But the FBI went ahead and got the records anyway by using a national 
security letter. The FBI's general counsel, Valerie E. Caproni, told 
investigators it was appropriate to issue the letters in such cases because she 
disagreed with the court's conclusions.

Implicated First Amendment Rights?  You mean like the peace activists in Chicago 
and St. Paul who are now under a subpoena to appear in court to explain their 
political views (video below)?

My question is, if 26 Republicans can break with the GOP, why can't these 67 
Democrats break with the GOP?

The 67 Democrats who voted FOR the Patriot Act (which didn't pass Tuesday) are 
the "Yeas" in italics on this rollcall, is yours one of them?  Again, the 
Democrats are in italics.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll026.xml

Here are the 67 Hall of Shame:

Gary Ackerman (D-NY)
Jason Altmire (D-PA)
Joe Baca (D-CA)
John Barrow (D-GA)
Shelley Berkley (D-NV)

Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
David Boren (D-OK)
Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)

Russ Carnahan (D-MO)
John Carney (D-DE)
Kathy Castor (D-FL)
Ben Chandler (D-KY)
Gerald Connolly (D-VA)

Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Jim Costa (D-CA)
Joe Courtney (D-CT)
Mark Critz (D-PA)
Henry Cuellar (D-TX)

Susan Davis (D-CA)
Norman Dicks (D-WA)
Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
Jane Harman (D-CA)
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)

Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Brian Higgins (D-NY)
Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
Tim Holden (D-PA)
Sten Hoyer (D-MD)

Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
William Keating (D-MA)
Ron Kind (D-WI)
Larry Kissell (D-NC)

James Langevin (D-RI)
Rick Larsen (D-WA)
Sander Levin (D-MI)
Daniel Lipinski (D-IL)
Nita Lowey (D-NY)

Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
Jerry McNerney (D-CA)

Brad Miller (D-NC)
Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)
Gary Peters (D-MI)

Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Mike Quigley (D-IL)
Nick Rahall (D-WV)
Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
Mike Ross (D-AR)

Steven Rothman (D-NJ)
Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Allyson Schwartz (D-PA)
David Scott (D-GA)

Terri Sewell (D-AL)
Heath Shuler (D-NC)
Albio Sires (D-NJ)
Adam Smith (D-WA)
Niki Tsongas (D-MA)

Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
John Yarmuth (D-KY)

Not voting:

G. K. Butterfield (D-NC)
Rick Crawford (R-AR)
Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)
Luiz Gutierrez (D-IL)
Richard Hanna (R-NY)
Doug Lamborn (D-CO)
Bill Posey (R-FL)
Jackie Speier (D-CA)