Originally published January 24 2006
Patriot Act renewed thanks to intervention by Cheney and leading Republicans
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
With the help of Vice President Dick Cheney, House and Senate Republicans reached a compromise to renew the ranging powers granted to law enforcement agencies under the controversial Patriot Act, which Democrats claim endangers civil liberties and personal rights.
Key Republicans from the House and Senate reached a White House-backed compromise Thursday to renew the broad powers granted to law-enforcement agencies in the days after the 2001 terrorist attacks on American soil.
Russell Feingold (D-Wisconsin) threatened to filibuster a bill he said lacked adequate safeguards to protect constitutional freedoms.
Arlen Specter, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who announced the compromise at a news conference in the Capitol.
Important parts involve the ability of law-enforcement officials to gain access to a wealth of personal data, including library records, as part of investigations into suspected terrorist activity.
The measure provides a four-year extension of the government's ability to conduct roving wiretaps -- which may involve multiple phones -- and to seek access to many of the personal records covered by the bill.
Also extended for four years is the power to wiretap "lone wolf" terrorists who may operate on their own, without control from a foreign agent or power.
White House officials signaled their satisfaction, and Specter (R-Pennsylvania) has credited Vice President Dick Cheney with intervening this week to help bring the House and Senate together.
Critics from the left and right said the legislation was a bad deal.
"Taking away our rights does not make us safer," said Sen.
"I will do everything I can, including a filibuster," to block passage, said the Wisconsin Democrat, the lone senator to vote against the original legislation passed in 2001.
The agreement capped weeks of fits and starts, and came after a day of confusion and mixed signals.
Specter held a late-morning news conference to hail the compromise and confidently predicted that the five other Senate Republican negotiators involved in talks with the House would back the deal.
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