Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Cardin Disappoints Again

from The League: Reassembled

Congressman Cardin broke with 78% of House Democrats and joined the Republicans this afternoon to pass the a new version of the Patriot Act.

After repeatedly expressing concerns on the campaign trail (including on The League's radio show), Cardin has once again sided with the Bush administration in its efforts to roll back centuries-old civil liberties. According to a Boston Globe report, the bill Cardin supported "would make permanent 14 provisions set to expire on December 31, including ones allowing the sharing of information by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. In a concession to critics, the legislation would extend three others by four years rather than seven years as proposed earlier."

This bill does nothing to fix the concerns civil libertarians have been raising the the original Patriot Act was passed in 2001:

---> Personal records from libraries, bookstores, doctor’s offices, business, and other entities that are not connected to an international terrorist or spy could still be obtained

---> The new bill allows sneak-and-peek searches under a broad standard not limited to terrorism cases

---> The new bill still allows secret eavesdropping and secret search orders that do not name a target or a location
check out more problems with the bill at ACLU

Cardin should be ashamed of himself for voting to pass this attack on civil liberties. Baltimore has enough problems without even more opportunity to become a police state. This man wants to be our next US Senator?

So how did Maryland's other representatives vote? Things didn't go as well as one might hope...

Yes (anti-civil liberties)
Gilchrest (R - Balto Co. and Eastern Shore)
Hoyer (D - Southern MD and House Minority Whip)
Ruppersberger (D - Central MD)

No (pro-civil liberties)
Bartlett (R - Western MD)
Cummings (D - Baltimore)
Van Hollen (D - MoCo)
Wynn (D - PG Co.)

from Minneaplos/St. Paul Star Tribune

from The League: Reassembled with revisions

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