GOP Senators Back Permanent Extension of Patriot Act [ = the Police State]
Three Republican Senate leaders introduced a measure late Thursday that would permanently extend three key provisions of the Patriot Act, rather than let them expire not quite three years from now, as an alternative Democratic proposal would do. The Republicans — Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader; Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the top GOP member on the Intelligence Committee — described the changes as vital to national security.
The measures at issue are roving wiretaps of terrorism suspects through phone and Internet records, the “lone wolf” provisions that can track a target regardless of affiliation with a specific group, and Section 215 orders allowing investigators to freely gather a suspect’s business records.