If You Ever Should Wonder Why We Voted For Rand Paul, Then Read This News On The Patriot Act. Rand Paul Is A REAL PATRIOT.

Rand Paul holds up anti-terrorism law over gun provisions
Written by James R. Carroll

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul is blocking the renewal of key provisions in an enhanced surveillance law — enacted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — because of a dispute with the Senate’s Democratic leader over gun rights.

With the provisions set to expire at midnight Thursday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper warned that “the nation will be less secure” if they lapse even briefly.

In remarks on the Senate floor, Paul, R-Ky., said he objected to the extension of the PATRIOT Act provisions without debating the law’s merits and constitutional problems and without having an opportunity to amend it.

In particular, he said “there is no reason we should allow our government to troll through our gun (purchase) records.”

“The government has looked at 28 million electronic records,” Paul said. “They are just sifting through all of our records looking for things. … We need not be so frightened that we give up our liberty in exchange for security.”

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Paul of “political grandstanding.”

“At midnight tomorrow, the PATRIOT Act will expire,” Reid said. “Unless the senator from Kentucky stops standing in the way, our law enforcement will no longer be able to use some of the most critical tools they need to counter terrorists and combat terrorism.

“If they cannot use these tools — tools that identify and track terrorist suspects — it could have dire consequences for our national security,” the Democratic leader said.

Reid added that Paul “is fighting for an amendment to protect the right — not of average citizens, but of terrorists — to cover up their gun purchases.”

By Wednesday night it appeared the provisions were in real danger of lapsing unless Paul backed off his demand for a debate. Reid invoked an obscure procedure that could not be blocked using filibuster tactics, but Paul has insisted on using all of the time for debate allowed under Senate rules.

Reid said there would be a vote Thursday morning on cutting off debate, but it was unclear whether there would be enough time to prevent the provisions from lapsing at least briefly.

The language about to expire permits the government to conduct surveillance of non-Americans deemed “lone-wolf” terrorists; to obtain records for tracking bomb-making chemicals and vehicle rentals; and to conduct so-called roving surveillance of cell phones and e-mails used by terrorists.

The issue of government access to gun purchase records has been raised by the Gun Owners of America. The group told members on its Website that it’s possible the government could go to a “secret court” and “obtain an order to produce every (federal gun purchase record) in the country, ostensibly because a ‘terrorism investigation’ requires it.

The organization also raised concerns that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is proposing rules to require the reporting of multiple sales of semi-automatic weapons and to compile a registry of such reports.

The Gun Owners contributed $58,680 to Republican lawmakers and candidates for the Senate and House in 2010, including $4,671 to Paul, records with the Federal Election Commission show.

Paul said during the Senate debate that Reid was accusing him “of wanting to allow terrorists to have weapons to attack America.”

“To be (accused) of such a belief when I'm here to discuss and debate the constitutionality of the PATRIOT Act is offensive,” he said. “I find it personally insulting. And I think it demeans the body.”

But Paul also said the Democratic majority is “petrified” of a vote on gun issues because most Americans agreed with him.

Reid said earlier that he had tried to work out an agreement with Paul to bring six amendments to a vote, four of them authored by the Kentuckian and two by Democrats. He said Paul rejected that arrangement.

Paul told his colleagues that Reid had abandoned his February promise to allow a debate on the surveillance law and amendments to it.

“Do we fear terrorism so much that we will not have a debate?” Paul said. “I think that’s a sad day.”

The Kentucky lawmaker also said the surveillance law wrongly allows banks to comb through customers’ records for suspicious activity without the approval of a judge. And, he added, there are no provisions for the destruction of records the government collects on people who are not suspected of any wrongdoing.

The freshman senator skipped a Tuesday speech to a joint meeting of Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, staying in his Senate seat to keep the legislation from moving forward.

Paul won some praise from Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who was a member of the House when the anti-terrorism law was passed after the terrorist attacks. Udall said “basically, everybody was told we just need to pass this.”

But there have been abuses, and court cases are raising constitutional issues, Udall said.

“We are at a point where we need deliberation,” he said. “I very much appreciate the senator from Kentucky speaking out on this issue.”

Clapper, however, urged the Senate not to allow any lapse in the law.

In a letter to Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Clapper said that with enhanced threats to the United States “the intelligence and law enforcement communities are working at a rapid pace to analyze and exploit recently collected intelligence to safeguard our national security.”

“The information obtained at the (Osama) bin Laden compound must be quickly analyzed for any indications and warning of terrorist plots and attack plans,” he added. “As part of this effort, we are using all our collection authorities to investigate and prevent terrorist attacks.”

McConnell did not get involved in Wednesday’s controversy.

“This is a disagreement between Sen. Paul and the majority leader,” McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer said in an e-mail.

McConnell said on Monday that the PATRIOT Act “is one of the critical tools for keeping America safe.”