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--- Begin Message ---Back to Story - Help http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050616/pl_afp/usattacksrights/nc:1278;_ylt=A86.I0.e RrFCJ3cATCM8KbIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUlDefying Bush again, US House votes to curb surveillance 1 hour, 12 minutes ago The US House of Representatives has rebelled against President George W. Bush for a second time in just three weeks by voting to shield libraries and bookstores from government investigators trying to collect information on terrorism suspects. By a vote of 238-187, the chamber on Wednesday approved an amendment to a bill funding the Justice Department that prohibits it from using a section of the USA Patriot Act enabling agents to gain access to customer reading records from US libraries and bookstore. The vote in defiance of a presidential veto threat, followed last month's passage of legislation allowing new federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, also in spite of Bush's repeated threats to veto it. Enacted barely six weeks after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the USA Patriot Act is seen by the Bush administration as a key legal tool in the war on terror. It gives the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other US law enforcement agencies greater search and surveillance powers by streamlining procedures and eliminating red tape. But critics have charged that the law threatens to undermine key civil liberties by making Americans more vulnerable to government intrusion. Section 215 of the act has drawn particularly strong fire because it has empowered federal agents to access the reading records of Americans in both libraries and bookstores after securing an order from a secret court. A similar amendment to protect US readers, offered by independent Congressman Bernie Sanders last year, failed to pass by just one vote. But on Wednesday, the pendulum clearly swung in his favor as 38 Republicans joined most of the Democrats in a bid to remedy the situation. "The passage of this amendment helps reign in an administration intent on chipping away at the very civil liberties that define us as a nation," an elated Sanders said in a statement. "We must do all we can to protect Americans from terrorism, but we must do it in a way that does not undermine the basic constitutional rights that makes us a free country," he added. The amendment passed just one day after the White House publicly threatened to veto the whole bill that funds the Justice, State and Commerce Departments, if the Sanders measure ever saw the light of day. "If any amendment that would weaken the USA Patriot Act were included in a bill presented to the president for his signature, the presidents senior advisors would recommend a veto," the White House's Office of Management and Budget warned in a terse statement. But most House members appeared not in the mood for compromises. House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that when Congress voted for the Patriot Act in late 2001, members were confident it would be accompanied by strong Congressional oversight. "That oversight has not occurred effectively," stated Pelosi. Representative Ron Paul (news, bio, voting record), one of two Republican co- sponsors of the amendment, made clear he was wary of the Patriot Act because it promoted big government, an anathema for many traditional conservatives like himself. "We must understand that politicians and bureaucrats always seek to expand their power, without regard to the long-term consequences," he cautioned. The vote put a big question mark on the administration's efforts to re-authorize the Patriot Act, key portions of which will automatically expire at the end of this year. In addition to keeping its existing powers, the FBI has been seeking so-called "administrative subpoena" authority that would allow it to request private records from hospitals, doctors' offices, banks, hotels or any other business without first getting approval from a judge. It also wants to be able to read the covers of people's mail as it searches for terror suspects. Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France Presse.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Alamaine Grand Forks, ND, US of A www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== ctrl is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance?not soap-boxing?please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'?with its many half-truths, mis-directions and outright frauds?is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, ctrl gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. ctrl gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. There are two list running, [EMAIL PROTECTED] and CTRL@listserv.aol.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] has unlimited posting and is more for discussion. CTRL@listserv.aol.com is more for informational exchange and has limited posting abilities. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Omimited posting abilities. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Om Yahoo! Groups Links
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