Friday, March 03, 2006
Sen. Russ Feingold - What I Did On My 53rd Birthday
I stood up for what is right, and tried to reasonably point out the flaws in the Patriot Act to my colleagues on the floor of the Senate.
I pointed out that this deal does not prevent the government from obtaining the library, medical and other sensitive business records of people with no link to suspected terrorists.
I argued that people who receive demands for documents under the Patriot Act are subject to a “gag order.” The deal includes a provision allowing recipients of Section 215 gag orders to challenge those orders in court, but it does not guarantee meaningful judicial review. Under the deal, review of business record orders could only take place after a year has passed and could only be successful if the recipient proves that the government has acted in bad faith. The deal ignores the serious First Amendment problem with the gag rule under current law.
I explained that this deal does not ensure that when government agents secretly break into the homes of Americans to do a so-called “sneak and peek” search, they tell the owners of those homes in most circumstances within seven days, as courts have said they should, and as the Senate bill did.
I stood my ground, attempted to make my views and concerns known, and proudly represented the concerns voiced by so many American citizens regarding this leagislation. I led a two-month filibuster against the final version of the reauthorization bill.
I watched my colleagues, who have no real understanding of how strong a position they truly are in, fold like a house of cards in voting to approve this legislation by a vote of 89-10.
I was forced to listen to people like Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, stating that despite all the problems of this legislation, "...the version of the Patriot Act we will soon reauthorize is a vast improvement over the law we passed hastily in 2001.''
Despite the loss, I gained the respect of many, many more Americans who will support me for President in 2008. Happy Birthday To Me!
Tags: Russ Feingold, Patriot Act, Senate, First Amendment, filibuster
Posted by FleshPresser at 5:47 PM /
Kathleen Callon posted at 7:53 PM
America needs Russ. The world needs Russ. Russ Feingold for President in 2008!
chico-towner posted at 9:55 PM
RUSS FOR PREZ!!! Keep up the struggle, our numbers keep growing. I'm gonna get a bumper sticker this week to kick off his campaign down here in Miami. Peace...
Kathleen Callon posted at 12:48 PM
Please, come over to http://russfeingoldpetition.blogspot.com/ and sign the petition asking Russ Feingold to run for President in 2008. Thank you for your time.
Kathleen Callon in California
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Kathleen Callon posted at 7:53 PM
