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Choke on it Feingold, Senate Approves Patriot Act Renewal

Deegan

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It an attempt to put our great country at risk, and over only partisan reasons, Senator Feingold must now watch as this important act is signed in to law. This measure is one of the greatest things to come of the tragedy that was 9/11, and I for one am glad that our agencies will now be working together, and that this old wall, is finally being torn down! A vote of 89 to 10 was reached today, and you should seriously consider those ten who tried to stand in the way, they are not looking out for your best interests, they are looking out for their own!

So I leave Mr Feingold with a parting shot, choke on it you miserable F**K!:2wave:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060302/ap_on_go_co/patriot_act
 
Feingold is a good guy. Although he IS a democrat.:roll:
 
Captain America said:
Feingold is a good guy. Although he IS a democrat.:roll:

Well that was awe inspiring, how could I ever have questioned his motives, LOL, "he's a good guy":rofl

So are the other Democratic Senators that voted for the P.A, they were looking out for you and me, Feingold was on a mission, and thank God that mission failed, and failed miserably.;)
 
Deegan said:
Well that was awe inspiring, how could I ever have questioned his motives, LOL, "he's a good guy":rofl

So are the other Democratic Senators that voted for the P.A, they were looking out for you and me, Feingold was on a mission, and thank God that mission failed, and failed miserably.;)

I'm sure he'll get some flack for that vote. But Feingold's claim to fame is avoiding special interest groups/money and voting his conscience. (For whatever that's worth. :roll:) I have often wondered how he's survived in Washington this long. An honest politician in Washington is a guppy in a pool of sharks.
 
This is a huge victory for a so called lame duck president........
 
Myself, I really don't have much problem with the Patriot Act. But I don't want to see it last indefinitely, curb our freedoms beyond necessity or go unchecked.

If that happens....the terrorists have already won.

Really, who cares if somebody snoops on you to see what library book you check out. Much adoo over nothing.

I was concerned about it at first but to my knowlege my personal freedoms have yet to be tampered with....to my knowlege.:shock:
 
Captain America said:
I'm sure he'll get some flack for that vote. But Feingold's claim to fame is avoiding special interest groups/money and voting his conscience. (For whatever that's worth. :roll:) I have often wondered how he's survived in Washington this long. An honest politician in Washington is a guppy in a pool of sharks.

I respect his obvious position on special interests, and this has nothing to do with this law, this is to protect Americans, and use the same exact laws we used to defeat the mob, drug rings, and other important issues. This bill was altered considerably to protect civil liberties, but Mr. Feingold calls that "cosmetic" It is obvious that he is being stubborn, and the American people can ill afford to allow him his temper tantrum!

I assume you are insisting that everyone else is wrong, and the good Senator is right, and using his other honest positions to try and disprove this obvious oversight? Not going to work, this man is wrong, and the entire Senate has bent over backwards to please him, but he continues to stand in the way of our security, game over Senator!
 
Deegan said:
It is obvious that he is being stubborn, and the American people can ill afford to allow him his temper tantrum!

I assume you are insisting that everyone else is wrong, and the good Senator is right,

Hmmmm. I have never seen him throw a temper tantrum before....:confused:

Watch out, you know what that say about assuming.:rofl

I think it would have been better had he voted for the PA. I hate to see this come back and bite him in the arse. Aside this vote, he shows a lot of promise.
 
Captain America said:
Hmmmm. I have never seen him throw a temper tantrum before....:confused:

You obviously have not watched the last few confirmation hearings, this is all this man offers, tempered obstructionisms, and he has become a bore, and more importantly, dangerous to our security. If he had his way, we wouldn't catch not only the terrorists, but the mobsters, and drug dealers that plague our country, what a legacy huh?:roll:
 
The thing that is so scary to me is people in this country who not only are so willing to give up the freedoms that so many have fought for and died for in this country, but are downright gleeful to do so.

Sure....there are provisions that increase the security but at what cost?
We could impose martial law and have a very secure country....oh, wait, I'd better be careful about saying that....I have a feeling that many of the previous posters would be elated at that chance to allow Bush and his administration have that kind of power.
 
You obviously have not watched the last few confirmation hearings

Obviously, I have not. I have been wasting my time helping the kids with their homework, taking the grandbaby to get his shots, remodeling the basement, mourning a lost wisdom tooth, working 11 days straight for up to 11 hours a day.

Alas, I have been such a slacker. Hell, I don't even know who's in the lead on American Idol....
 
disneydude said:
The thing that is so scary to me is people in this country who not only are so willing to give up the freedoms that so many have fought for and died for in this country, but are downright gleeful to do so.

Sure....there are provisions that increase the security but at what cost?
We could impose martial law and have a very secure country....oh, wait, I'd better be careful about saying that....I have a feeling that many of the previous posters would be elated at that chance to allow Bush and his administration have that kind of power.
But renewing this does NOT give Bush more power...

It gives the office more power...Don't try to make as if once Bush leaves, the laws you don't like go with him...They will still be there for whomever follows...
 
Captain America said:
Obviously, I have not. I have been wasting my time helping the kids with their homework, taking the grandbaby to get his shots, remodeling the basement, mourning a lost wisdom tooth, working 11 days straight for up to 11 hours a day.

Alas, I have been such a slacker. Hell, I don't even know who's in the lead on American Idol....

LOL, well I certainly appreciate your honesty, I know a few things about remodeling basements, I once owned a company that did just that, good luck with that.;)
 
^
and that should be reassuring why?

I don't care WHO has the power. America used to be the land of the free.
I remember being taught as a kid that "we are the only totally free country".
These days I can think of several countries that have more freedoms than us.
Its a sad sad day in America
 
Deegan said:
Well that was awe inspiring, how could I ever have questioned his motives, LOL, "he's a good guy":rofl

So are the other Democratic Senators that voted for the P.A, they were looking out for you and me, Feingold was on a mission, and thank God that mission failed, and failed miserably.;)

Feingold is my main man. He's consistent with his values (and mine) even though he knew he was not going to be successful w/ the filibuster, he did it anyway. Remember he was the only Senator to vote against the P.A. the first time around.

The Dems that upset me on this are the ones that are trying to have it both ways: voting against cloture, and then for the P.A. That's wimpy.
 
Deegan said:
LOL, well I certainly appreciate your honesty, I know a few things about remodeling basements, I once owned a company that did just that, good luck with that.;)

I am such a dumbass. I put a new, heavier than f***, pool table down in my basement, paid 300.00 to move and set it up, BEFORE I laid down the new carpet.:roll:

I get the flying fickle finger of fate award of the century....
 
Captain America said:
I am such a dumbass. I put a new, heavier than f***, pool table down in my basement, paid 300.00 to move and set it up, BEFORE I laid down the new carpet.:roll:

I get the flying fickle finger of fate award of the century....

Look on the bright side, you do have a pool table downstairs, I find it hard to feel too sorry for you.;)
 
Well, in my own defense, I sat the table BEFORE I knew my wife was going to insist on new carpet.

I only have the table because it was given to me by brother in law. All I had to do is pay to move it. It's less than a year old. It is a very nice one though. I don't shoot pool for squat. Right now, we're using it to fold clothes.

Remember the Beverly Hillbillie's and their fancy eatin' table?
 
Captain America said:
Well, in my own defense, I sat the table BEFORE I knew my wife was going to insist on new carpet.

I only have the table because it was given to me by brother in law. All I had to do is pay to move it. It's less than a year old. It is a very nice one though. I don't shoot pool for squat. Right now, we're using it to fold clothes.

Remember the Beverly Hillbillie's and their fancy eatin' table?

LOL, yes I grew up with a pool table in the basement, and I still suck, I feel your pain. Again, look on the bright side, I happen to know it makes a great folding of clothes table!:lol: ;)
 
You should see my treadmill and stairmaster. What GREAT clothes racks they have become!:rofl
 
Captain America said:
You should see my treadmill and stairmaster. What GREAT clothes racks they have become!:rofl

Seriously though, there must be a huge landfill full of those damn things, LOL.

Hey........wait a minute, you have successfully distracted me from my obvious hating of a certain Senator, that's o.k, I now actually regret my attack on him, honestly I do. I still think this is a very important law, but we need the Feingolds of this country, sorry Mr. Feingold.;)
 
Like I said, Russ is a good dude overall but still I gotta wonder why he went out on the ledge like that..... Most of America supports the Patriot Act or at least the intent of it. He had to know his "no" vote was as insignificant as peeing in the ocean. I'm thinking he has some sort of political end game in mind. Maybe he has hired himself a Karl Rove?

I suppose one reason I tend to give him a pass on this one is because I have witnessed his political rise. I have seen him do it bucking both democrats and republicans alike, every step of the way and he is always taking the moral "right thing to do" high ground on all sorts of issues. Even campaign finance. He has shook a LOT of common folks hands on his way up. You actually feel like he listens, when you talk. He actually engages in worthwhile conversation rather than the usual PR rhetoric and "smile for the camera" politician BS. And it don't matter if you are the mayor of Milwaukee or me, Joe Sh** the Ragman, Feingold will honestly shake your hand and let you bend his ear.

His honesty and integrity is what appeals to me. That is not to say he can't fall on the wrong side of the fence now and again. But like the president, whether you agree with him or not, you know where Feingold stands. Plus, I get a certain pleasure witnessing an everyday Joe make it to the top bucking carreer/professional politicians all the way. You know his fellow politicians must hate him for his views on campaign finance reform.

To me, a dream ticket would be Feingold and McCain. I don't care which is which either. What an awesome message to send out to America. A dem and a repub running together. Screw all that division and hate. We're all Americans for crissakes!
 
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Captain America said:
Like I said, Russ is a good dude overall but still I gotta wonder why he went out on the ledge like that..... Most of America supports the Patriot Act or at least the intent of it. He had to know his "no" vote was as insignificant as peeing in the ocean. I'm thinking he has some sort of political end game in mind. Maybe he has hired himself a Karl Rove?

BWAHAHAHA, he wishes............maybe he has, are you f**king with me?:shock:
 
Captain America said:
Like I said, Russ is a good dude overall but still I gotta wonder why he went out on the ledge like that..... Most of America supports the Patriot Act or at least the intent of it. He had to know his "no" vote was as insignificant as peeing in the ocean. I'm thinking he has some sort of political end game in mind. Maybe he has hired himself a Karl Rove?

The Senate unanimously supported a revised PA over the summer, the bill that passed today was a lot different. I thought his statement on the issue was very eloquent, thoughtful and wise.

Statement of Senator Russ Feingold
On Final Passage of the Patriot Act Reauthorization
As Prepared for Delivery from the Senate Floor

March 2, 2006

Mr. President, in a few minutes, the Senate will conclude a process that began over a year ago by reauthorizing the Patriot Act. I will have a few closing remarks but first I want to take this opportunity to thank the extraordinary staff who have worked on this bill for so long. These men and women, on both sides of the aisle, have worked extremely hard and they deserve to be recognized. I ask unanimous consent that a list of their names be printed in the Record after my remarks.

Mr. President, beginning in November when we first saw a draft of the conference report, I have spoken at length about the substance of this bill. I hoped that when we started the task of reauthorizing the Patriot Act at the beginning of last year, the end product would be something that the whole Senate could support. We had a real chance to pass a bill that would both reauthorize the tools to prevent terrorism and fix the provisions that threaten the rights and freedoms of innocent Americans. This conference report, even as amended by the bill incorporating the White House deal that we passed yesterday, falls well short of that goal. I will vote no.

Protecting the country from terrorism while also protecting our rights is a challenge for every one of us, particularly in the current political climate, and it is a challenge we all take seriously. I know that many Senators who will vote for this reauthorization bill in a few minutes would have preferred to enact the bill we passed without a single objection in July of last year. I appreciate that so many of my colleagues came to recognize the need to take the opportunity presented by the sunset provisions included in the original Patriot Act to make changes that would better protect civil liberties than did the law we enacted in haste in October 2001.

Nevertheless, I am deeply disappointed that we have largely wasted this opportunity to fix the obvious problems with the Patriot Act.

The reason I spent so much time in the past few days talking about how the public views the Patriot Act was to make it clear that this fight was not about one Senator arguing the details of the law. This fight was about trying to restore the public’s trust in our government. That trust has been severely shaken as the public learned more about the Patriot Act, which was passed with so little debate in 2001, and as the administration resisted congressional oversight efforts and repeatedly politicized the reauthorization process. The revelations about secret warrantless surveillance late last year only confirmed the suspicions of many in our country that the government is willing to trample the rule of law and constitutional guarantees in the fight against terrorism.

The negative reaction to the Patriot Act has been overwhelming. Over 400 state and local government bodies passed resolutions pleading with Congress to change the law. Citizens have signed petitions, library associations and campus groups have organized to petition the Congress to act, numerous editorials have been written urging Congress not to reauthorize the law without adequate protections for civil liberties. These things occurred because Americans across the country recognize that the Patriot Act includes provisions that pose a threat to their privacy and liberty -- values that are at the very core of what this country represents, of who we are as a people.

In 2001, we were viciously attacked by terrorists who care nothing for American freedoms and American values. And we as a people came together to fight back, and we are prepared to make great sacrifices to defeat those who would destroy us. But what we will not do, what we cannot do, is destroy our own freedoms in the process.

Without freedom, we are not America. If we don’t preserve our liberties, we cannot win this war, no matter how many terrorists we capture or kill.

That is why the several Senators who have said at one time or another during this debate things like, “Civil liberties do not mean much when you are dead” are wrong about America at the most basic level. They do not understand what this country is all about. Theirs is a vision that the founders of this nation, who risked everything for freedom, would categorically reject. And so do the American people.

Americans want to defeat terrorism, and they want the basic character of this country to survive and prosper. They want to empower the government to protect the nation from terrorists, and they want protections against government overreaching and overreacting. They know it might not be easy, but they expect the Congress to figure out how to do it. They don’t want defeatism on either score. They want both security and liberty, and unless we give them both – and we can, if we try – we have failed.

This fight is not over Mr. President. The vote today will not assuage the deep and legitimate concerns that the public has about the Patriot Act. I am convinced that in the end, the government will respond to the people, as it should. We will defeat the terrorists, and we will preserve the freedom and liberty that make this the greatest country on the face of the earth.

I yield the floor.

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/statements/06/03/2006302PA.html
 
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