Patriot Act Not Extended, CAIR Pleased
Charles Johnson
Fri Dec 16, 2005 at 12:37 pm PST • Views: 296
The extension of the Patriot Act has been defeated in the Senate, and the Council on American Islamic Relations is crowing about it: Islamic Advocacy Group Says Civil Liberties Protections Must Be Strengthened.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement:
“We applaud the Senate’s decision to reject reauthorization of the Patriot Act unless it has stronger protections for the civil liberties of all Americans. Everyone wants to increase national security, but that goal need not be achieved by sacrificing constitutional rights.”
The Washington-based group noted that just today, media reports indicate that President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to eavesdrop on Americans without first obtaining court-approved warrants.
CAIR said the two Patriot Act provisions of greatest concern to civil libertarians are Sections 215 and 505.
Notice that they don’t include themselves as civil libertarians; they just say that civil libertarians should be greatly concerned.
Frank says: