They scheduled a cloture vote on the Patriot Act 4 5pm Mon cos Rand was to be out of town?

[sailingaway]

I just found this C4L email on an article as a comment; I either haven't received it or it went to spam or I deleted it....:o

Dear Patriot,

On Thursday, Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell collaborated with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a backroom pact to extend the so-called “Patriot” Act – with as little debate as possible – for 4 years before some of the most liberty-savaging components expire on Friday, May 27.

The surveillance state’s ability to snoop through your business records, pry into your library book checkouts, monitor so-called “lone wolfs,” and spy on your personal communications through roving wiretaps will be extended until 2015, which “coincidentally” is not an election year.

So much for all that lofty rhetoric last fall about adhering to the Constitution.

By taking a chainsaw to the Fourth Amendment, they have pledged their allegiance to the Surveillance State.

Even more galling, a cloture vote is scheduled for 5PM Monday, because they believed Senator Rand Paul would be out of town, and they would have a free hand to slip extending the government’s domestic spying capabilities through without anyone noticing.

And that has always been the plan from the get-go.

Going back to the original passage of the Patriot Act in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, leaders in both parties have always schemed to squash debate and muffle dissent.

You and I cannot permit that to happen this time.

Here is the link to call your reps http://paracom.paramountcommunicati...:1:248325311:306A824424D5A38F5568858D04E356AB

or you can just go to www.house.gov or www.senate.gov if you prefer.

and the email (in the comment) continues:

After you contact your representative and senators, please also call or email Speaker Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Inform them that you elected a Republican majority to protect the Constitution, and not to use it as a doormat so the jackboots at the national security state can wipe their feet all over it.

The speed with which the vote to extend the so-called “Patriot” Act was scheduled is a sign that the statists are worried that the longer this skunk sits out in the open, the more people are going to realize it stinks to high heaven.

They want this over and done with before fence sitters in both houses can be bombarded by phone calls and emails from liberty-minded Americans demanding they respect the Constitution and rollback the so-called “PATRIOT” Act.

 

[UtahApocalypse]

Why is Rand not going back to stop this?

 

[tsai3904]

If Harry Reid scheduled a cloture vote, more likely than not, he knows he has 60 senators who will vote for it.

Time to pressure our reps though as some vulnerable reps may still be swayed on the extension vote that will likely happen this week.

 

[sailingaway]

Why is Rand not going back to stop this?

I think he was scheduled to be in KY so they scheduled it on purpose while he would be gone. From the tense 'was to have been' out of town I expect he plans to be there now. I understand that the unity rally following the GOP governor's primary today had Rand calling in by video in scrubs, and I'm wondering if he rescheduled patients. I know he had an annual free medical 'Lions Day Clinic' coming up, and that might have been planned for Monday, but I'm really only guessing. It did seem odd for him to phone in his speech to the unity party in scrubs, though.

 

[sailingaway]

If Harry Reid scheduled a cloture vote, more likely than not, he knows he has 60 senators who will vote for it.

Time to pressure our reps though as some vulnerable reps may still be swayed on the extension vote that will likely happen this week.

If they specifically did it while Rand was out of town, I think they were concerned he'd put people on the spot in a way difficult to hold votes for. Or at least would make the votes squirm.

We do need to contact our reps, and Boehner, and Reid.

This is where Rand was today: http://senatorteaparty.com/david-williams-to-gop-unity-rally-i-have-a-heart/

 

[tsai3904]

This is where Rand was today: http://senatorteaparty.com/david-williams-to-gop-unity-rally-i-have-a-heart/

According to the article, Rand wasn't at the rally. Good to know where Rand's priorities are:

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, did not attend the rally but was featured live on a televised screen from Glasgow, where, his state director Jim Milliman said, he was performing free eye surgeries as an ophthalmologist at a clinic for the needy.

 

[headhawg7]

If they specifically did it while Rand was out of town, I think they were concerned he'd put people on the spot in a way difficult to hold votes for. Or at least would make the votes squirm.

We do need to contact our reps, and Boehner, and Reid.

This is where Rand was today: http://senatorteaparty.com/david-williams-to-gop-unity-rally-i-have-a-heart/

Contacting the entrenched politicians will do no good. I wish it would. Most of these folks stopped representing their constituents years ago. During the TARP vote and stimulus vote the capitol hill switchboards were on fire with 100 to 1 against both. They passed it anyways. Maybe this is just the pessimist in me. We need to vote out all congressman and start over. Repeal the 17th amendment. Senators virtually vote along party lines even if it is against the best interests of the states they supposedly represent. The states have zero power now because the senators have given it away to the federal govt as a whole.

 

[pcosmar]

Why is Rand not going back to stop this?

How?
There is no stopping this. It is a done deal. There are not enough honest men in Washington to Filibuster this.
TPTB want it and their lapdogs will go along. There will be some political games and maybe even a close vote so some can make some lame claims, but it will pass.
That has been obvious for some time.

at least to me.

 

[sailingaway]

Contacting the entrenched politicians will do no good. I wish it would. Most of these folks stopped representing their constituents years ago. During the TARP vote and stimulus vote the capitol hill switchboards were on fire with 100 to 1 against both. They passed it anyways. Maybe this is just the pessimist in me. We need to vote out all congressman and start over. Repeal the 17th amendment. Senators virtually vote along party lines even if it is against the best interests of the states they supposedly represent. The states have zero power now because the senators have given it away to the federal govt as a whole.

It is to let them know we are upset. If we DON'T, they go ahead. If we make enough noise they are sometimes startled and stall. But there has to be a lot of noise. So what if they go ahead, does that mean we do nothing? They should at least know they have been in a fight.

 

[Noob]

I remember last year they waited for hours for a Democrat Senator to show up to cast a vote, and yet they wont wait for Rand?

 

[headhawg7]

It is to let them know we are upset. If we DON'T, they go ahead. If we make enough noise they are sometimes startled and stall. But there has to be a lot of noise. So what if they go ahead, does that mean we do nothing? They should at least know they have been in a fight.

Oh...I agree. I am just so frustrated. Seems no matter what informed people do it is like we are running on a treadmill. Nothing changes. Just nice to be able to vent a little otherwise I might explode.

 

[qh4dotcom]

Why would they care if Rand was out of town? His single vote is too insignificant to stop the legislation...and what about Mike Lee? Mike also voted against extending the provisions of the Patriot act earlier this year.

 

[sailingaway]

Oh...I agree. I am just so frustrated. Seems no matter what informed people do it is like we are running on a treadmill. Nothing changes. Just nice to be able to vent a little otherwise I might explode.

I just wrote a post on this on firedoglake (I have signed up there to discuss crossover issues with progressives). Here is a tinyurl I tweeted: http://tinyurl.com/3fpyhoy But I just got a twitter account and I only have about 42 people following me. If others would tweet it, that would be great.

Also, you could reddit it here: http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/hh07u/action_alert_cloture_vote_on_patriot_act_set_for/

 

[sailingaway]

Why would they care if Rand was out of town? His single vote is too insignificant to stop the legislation...and what about Mike Lee? Mike also voted against extending the provisions of the Patriot act earlier this year.

But Rand was the objection to the unanimous consent motion that would have otherwise let it pass without anyone putting votes on record.

 

[headhawg7]

I just wrote a post on this on firedoglake (I have signed up there to discuss crossover issues with progressives). Here is a tinyurl I tweeted: http://tinyurl.com/3fpyhoy But I just got a twitter account and I only have about 42 people following me. If others would tweet it, that would be great.

Also, you could reddit it here: http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/hh07u/action_alert_cloture_vote_on_patriot_act_set_for/

I would but I don't have a twitter account either. I would like to hear from some progressives about this. They were really against it once...now that the leadership in the democratic party supports it I guess they just ignore their principles. Like I said....most have bought into the left vs right argument. If the leaders of their party are for it....then they are for it. Groupthink at its finest. Sad really.

 

[sailingaway]

bump

 

[Aratus]

(i agree)

 

[Chester Copperpot]

I remember last year they waited for hours for a Democrat Senator to show up to cast a vote, and yet they wont wait for Rand?

Of course.. its like the constitution.. all these fuckwads know how to hide behind the constitution when it suits them.. but most of the time it doesnt suit them so they just bs there way thru

 

[Koz]

Just made my calls. Both staffers I talked to were pretty pissy on the phone. I hope that means they are fielding a lot of phone calls, although both of my Senators are worthless shitbags who will renew it in a second.

 

[Chester Copperpot]

If I call my senator I might get arrested