Sen. Rand Paul Speaks on PATRIOT ACT

[jw33]

[Cannonball996]

it seems like its the republicans who are against rand paul's amendments

[sc281]

it seems like its the republicans who are against rand paul's amendments

It's both parties, sadly.

[Cannonball996]

It's both parties, sadly.

in his interview this afternoon he said he had an agreement with the dems, but the republicans were still holding out.

[sc281]

in his interview this afternoon he said he had an agreement with the dems, but the republicans were still holding out.

Link?

[jw33]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr939QII_Dc&feature=player_embedded

A fight over the extension of the Patriot Act played out on the Senate floor yesterday--and things got personal for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Paul chose to rise on the Senate floor in front of a national audience to give Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) a real piece of his mind.

"I rise in response to a scurrilous accusation," Paul said. "I've been accused of wanting to allow terrorists to have weapons to attack America. To be attacked of such a belief when I'm here to discuss and debate the constitutionality of the Patriot Act is offensive. I find it personally insulting. And I think it demeans the body. It demeans the Senate body and the people that we can't have an intelligent debate over the constitutionality of this."

Paul and Reid have been publicly sparring all week over the proposed extension of the anti-terrorism law, first passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Paul, elected with support from the tea party last November, opposes reauthorizing the law in its current form, saying it violates Americans' right to privacy. Paul wanted to add amendments to the reauthorization bill, including one that would bar law enforcement from accessing certain gun records. But Reid has opposed Paul's proposed amendments, as well as other suggested modifications to the law, and insisted that the Senate should not create any lapse in the act's reauthorization.

Reid on Wednesday personally attacked Paul on the floor, with rhetoric that suggested the Kentucky senator's proposals would abet terrorist enemies of the United States.

"When the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, we will be giving terrorists the opportunity to plot against our country undetected," Reid said, referring to the law's expiration this week. "The senator from Kentucky is threatening to take away the best tools we have for stopping them."

"We all remember the tragic Fort Hood shootings less than two years ago. Radicalized American terrorists bought guns and used them to kill 13 civilians," Reid said. "It is hard to imagine why the senator would want to hold up the Patriot Act for a misguided amendment that would make American less safe."

Paul was not fighting alone. He had support from a couple of Democrats who also have argued for more oversight of the act, which permits law enforcement the use of roving wiretaps, access to library records and other controversial expansion of policing powers in the struggle against terrorism.

In the end, the majority leader won the first battle by employing procedural maneuvers to end debate. The Senate voted 79-18 Thursday morning to end cloture, which allows the Senate to move forward with an up or down vote on the measure. But Paul said he may still win a deal that would permit votes on some of his amendments.

[YALE]

The PATRIOT Act is a bullshit power grab. Of course they're going to extend it.

[Slowhand]

And the quasi-anti-big government motherfuckers that do all of their preaching on here about the evils of government yet still indiscriminately gobble down all of the Republican Party cock that they can have yet to make an appearance in this thread to give some bullshit reason as to why the Patriot Act is a solid piece of American legislation.

I'm shocked

[mikec]

And the quasi-anti-big government motherfuckers that do all of their preaching on here about the evils of government yet still indiscriminately gobble down all of the Republican Party cock that they can have yet to make an appearance in this thread to give some bullshit reason as to why the Patriot Act is a solid piece of American legislation.

I'm shocked

Wouldn't it be the cock gobbling democrats that would defend this piece of legislation? As a rule the cock gobbling republicans are generally against legislation of this sort. You confused in your anger towards your fellow board members?

[Sean88gt]

This is congress. They loudly debate on nonsense that grabs headlines and then vote in unison when the opportunity to grab power arises.

We need a wholesale clean out in DC.

[CexMashean]

And the quasi-anti-big government motherfuckers that do all of their preaching on here about the evils of government yet still indiscriminately gobble down all of the Republican Party cock that they can have yet to make an appearance in this thread to give some bullshit reason as to why the Patriot Act is a solid piece of American legislation.

I'm shocked

If you don't have anything to hide, what's the problem?

[barronj]

"We all remember the tragic Fort Hood shootings less than two years ago. Radicalized American terrorists bought guns and used them to kill 13 civilians," Reid said. "It is hard to imagine why the senator would want to hold up the Patriot Act for a misguided amendment that would make American less safe."

THIS is some serious bullshit. This was one man who'd given every possible warning sign there was, and the Army ignored it all in fear of offending some fag muslims. The MF who did this was an army psychologist, not exactly run of the mill american terrorist. Shit, he could've done it with a government issued pistol for what little it matters. Reid playing this card to evoke emotions should be called to the mat for even bringing up something so positively irrelevant. As a matter of fact, The Patriot Act had long been in effect, 9 years (?), and this happened a year ago; Clearly, he's making R Paul's argument for him on the ineffectiveness of the existing legislation.

[CexMashean]

The problem is that the way it is written allows for abuse, and while today the abuses are excused away in the effort to combat terrorism, tomorrow they may see to be used in ways more dastardly. It should not be a question of "if you have nothing to hide", they still need to get a judge to sign off on the warrant.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you don't know what the face i posted stands for.

[barronj]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you don't know what the face i posted stands for.

hence the ninja edit. I hate that face.

[YALE]

Why is Harry Reid painting the Ft. Hood shooting like it was a terror cell? It was a nutbag.