"Ironically, the Republicans had subverted the most basic underlying principle of a democracy - that the will of the majority as evidenced by a fairly taken vote should prevail - in order to protect the Bush Administration's abridgement of American civil liberties under section 215 of the Patriot Act."
The voting time expired, with the amendment passing (due to almost 30 Republicans supporting it), but the presiding Republican did not close the voting process, and other Republicans worked to put pressure on their colleagues until the vote was a tie -- at which point the amendment died. And what was the amendment they were so afraid of having passed? It would have prevented the government from secretly opening up citizens' reading records at libraries or accessing lists of books bought at your local Barnes & Noble.
The Bush administration is deliberating seeking to erode our civil liberties, and to promulgate the kind of fear that will keep us silent in the face of such efforts. Take a moment to surf over to the American Civil Liberties Union and let Bush know you're too patriotic to stand for this!
Posted by hessma at July 10, 2004 10:44 AM