Obama Signs PATRIOT Act Extension

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
May 27, 2011

On Thursday, Congress passed a four year extension of the PATRIOT Act. Lawmakers rejected all attempts to moderate aspects of the legislation that weaken the Fourth Amendment.

Obama used an auto pen machine from France to sign the extension. Provisions of the PATRIOT Act were set to expire at midnight.

Congress would have signed the extension earlier if not for the efforts of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who opposes the extension on constitutional grounds, specifically its violations of the Fourth Amendment.

In addition, Paul proposed an amendment that would have placed restrictions on the government’s ability to obtain gun purchase records. It was defeated 85-10. His second amendment, limiting banks on their reporting of suspicious financial transactions, was rejected 91-4.

“We dissolve from within when we give up our liberties,” Paul warned. “Millions of innocent citizens are having their records looked at.”

“It’s an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist threat,” Obama said after a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) agreed to strip the extension of any amendments.

“The Speaker supports this common-sense proposal because this law has been crucial to detecting and disrupting terrorist plots and protecting the American people,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement.

Tipped.co.uk

Congress Poised to Reauthorize Constitution-busting Patriot Act

 

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
February 8, 2011

It looks like Congress will extend the unpatriotic PATRIOT Act later today. The extension will reauthorize for a period of nine months the Constitution-busting legislation.

The three most contested provisions of the legislation expire on February 28.

The temporary reauthorization is supported by the Obama White House. “The administration would strongly prefer enactment of reauthorizing legislation that would extend these authorities until December 2013,” a statement from the Obama administration said.

It looks like some members of the Tea Party also support the legislation. Ryan Hecker, a Houston lawyer and tea-party organizer, told the Wall Street Journal he believes the act has helped curb terrorism and “the movement should remain agnostic.”

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Despite opposition to the act by Republicans such as Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, reauthorization enjoys wide support in Congress.

Rand highlighted his opposition to the PATRIOT Act during his Senate campaign.

On Monday, Paul said he has “had a lot of reservations about the Patriot Act” and added that he is “reviewing it and we’re going over it, and we will have something out probably in the next couple of days.”

Rand’s father, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, was one of three Republicans lawmakers who opposed the legislation when the House passed it in October, 2001.

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One reason for bipartisan support for reauthorization, according to the Journal, is the perceived threat of homegrown terrorism, seen in the absurd Times Square barbeque canister and underwear non-bombings last year. Both events and others staged by FBI agents provocateurs have led to a hysterical propaganda campaign obviously designed not only to get the PATRIOT Act reauthorized, but also expand various police state measures, including an internet kill switch, the takeover of media by the Department of Homeland Security (see our Obama Launches Total Takeover of Media System posted earlier today), and the steady militarization of law enforcement and emergency services, an effort that has been underway at least since the days of the Reagan administration.