Invoking the recent London bombings,
The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday night that would make permanent several controversial provisions of the USA Patriot Act, a sweeping anti-terrorism and anti-crime law that Congress passed in the weeks after the 9/11 attacks.
The Senate Judiciary COmmittee has passed its own bill and now the two will have to be reconciled.
Apparently, this brilliant piece of logic is representative of the "debate":
"All we do in the Patriot Act is say, 'Look, if we can go after child molesters sitting in the library and bombers who we need to sneak-and-peek on a warrant, we ought to be able to go after terrorists,'" Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich said.
Good going, Rogers. You almost got the talking point out without making a complete mess of it.
And what would an extension of the PATRIOT Act be without some ludicrous, arbitrary jail sentences?
Another successful amendment sets a 20-year jail term for an attack against a rail or mass-transit vehicle; a 30-year sentence if the vehicle carries nuclear material; and life imprisonment — with the possibility of the death penalty — if anyone is killed in such an attack.
For their own part, Democrats mounted a stiff defense, which consisted of offering up amendments that were then voted down. Well done Democrats. I knew you had it in you.