The Patriot Act bill would have renewed the authority for court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. Also addressed was Section 215, the so-called library records provision that gives the FBI court-approved access to "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation.
The third deals with the "lone-wolf" provision of a 2004 anti-terror law that permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-U.S. people not known to be affiliated with a specific terrorist organization.
Of these, I only have an objection to Section 215 which I feel gives too much leeway to the FBI.
I would hope that the House also takes on what I think is a far more serious danger to our civil liberties, the national security letters, which are "FBI demands for information that do not need a judge's approval." It is also against the Patriot Act to make public the fact that one has received an NSL.
UPDATE: I was wrong about the press not characterizing this as a GOP FAIL:
Patriot Act extension fails in the House by seven votes
By Paul Kane and Felicia Sonmez
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wahington Post
House Republicans suffered an embarrassing setback Tuesday when they fell seven votes short of extending provisions of the USA Patriot Act, a vote that served as the first small uprising of the party's tea party bloc.
House GOP fumbles on Patriot Act renewal
Conservative and 'tea party' Republicans join many Democrats to vote against renewal of the terrorist surveillance law, key provisions of which are to expire Feb. 28.
By Lisa Mascaro, Washington Bureau
February 9, 2011
LA Times
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