Those Evil Libertarians

Monday 23 May 2011 - Filed under Uncategorized

So evil they are.

A bill extending provisions of the Patriot Act that expire this week easily cleared a major hurdle in the Senate on Monday, but it could face delays if Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) decides not to hold votes on proposed changes to the legislation.

Freshman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a vocal critic of the counter-terrorism surveillance law, threatened Monday to “drag out” the process if Reid fails to hold votes on some of the nine amendments Paul introduced or co-sponsored on Monday. Paul, a libertarian-minded tea-party senator, noted that Reid had promised earlier this year to set aside a week’s worth of debate on the bill and allow votes on amendments.

So evil that the only libertarian leaning member of the senate is single-handedly spearheading getting rid of that piece of shit, or, at the very least amend the most egregious portions of it.

Meanwhile, Teams Red and Blue are voting in droves to fast track the passage of the bill to an eagerly awaiting Obama who is currently in Europe. HuffPo:

Lawmakers voted 74-8 to debate and vote the legislation this week, before key provisions expire on Friday. President Barack Obama was in Europe, so any extension must pass the House and Senate, then be flown overseas and signed into law before the three provisions expire.

That would require uncommon speed for the deliberative Senate, where one member can delay or block legislation. And there were opponents: Senators of both parties said the law, designed after the September 2001 terrorist attacks, would give the government too much power.

The White House urged them to work it out – quickly.

“It is essential to avoid any hiatus” in the law’s powers, the Obama administration said in a statement.

[. . .]

Monday’s tally cleared the [Democrat majority] Senate’s 60-vote threshold to move forward with debate. Senate leaders huddled into the evening to get an agreement on which amendments would be considered, and for how long, in the shadow of the deadline. Officials said the bill would have to pass the Senate by Wednesday and be approved quickly by the House if were to be shuttled to Obama and signed before the provisions at issue expire.

2011-05-23  »  madlibertarianguy