Posted
6/16/2005 05:19:00 PM
by Douglas
Wow, the House stood up, grabs its balls, and decided that the Fed doesn't need to know what books I check out from the library under the razor-thin guise of
national security. Advocates of rewriting the USA Patriot Act are claiming momentum after the House, despite a White House veto threat, voted to restrict investigators from using the anti-terrorism law to peek at library records and bookstore sales slips.
Wednesday's 238-187 vote came as lawmakers ramped up efforts to extend the Patriot Act, which was passed quickly in the emotional aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. When Congress passed the law, it included a sunset provision under which 15 of the its provisions are to expire at the end of this year.
Ok, maybe I'm celebrating prematurely, but someone's got to point out the lunacy of the PATRIOT ACT, and this is a good a start as any.