It seems that the ACLU has decided that the Patriot Act is now Consitutional
The ACLU said it was withdrawing the lawsuit filed more than three years ago because of "improvements to the law." The Justice Department argued last month that amendments approved by Congress in March 2006 had corrected any constitutional flaws in the Patriot Act.
"While the reauthorized Patriot Act is far from perfect, we succeeded in stemming the damage from some of the Bush administration's most reckless policies," Ann Beeson, associate legal director of the ACLU in New York, said in a written statement.
Of course, it's also true that the ACLUs (former) position was to the
Left of the American public, but to the Right of many Democratic members of
Congress; especially members of the House and most especially to the
whole Vermont delegation to Congress.
It turns out that 174 members of the House of Represntatives voted
against reauthorizing the Patriot Act, the bill that allows the US
Government to go after terrorists in the same way that it was able to
go after organized crime. Among those voting against the Patriot Act
was Rep Bernie Sanders, the man who would be Senator from Vermont. He
was joined by the likes of Representative Kucinich - the man who would
be Chair of the National Security subcommittee if Democrats win the
House - and Representative Peolsi, the Woman who would be Speaker and
third in line for the Presidency if Democrats win the House.
On the Senate side, cooler heads prevailed in that only 10 Senators
voted against reauthorizing the Patriot Act, all Democrats (or "independents") and 20% of that number were
from Vermont. Both Senators Leahy (the man who would be Chairman of the
Judiciary Committee if Democrats took the Senate) and Jeffords.
So this amounts to every member of the Vermont Congressional
delegation is to the Left of the ACLU. Now
that's extremist.
I wonder if Vermonters will reelect extremists next week.