In case you missed it, this week Sen. Rand Paul gave several logical, passionate, and Constitutional arguments against the so called “PATRIOT” Act. Paul met a lot of resistance from both sides of the aisle but at least got the debate going about this issue. The Senators that stood with Sen. Paul on not tabling his amendments were as follows.

S. Amdt 363 To clarify that the authority to obtain information under the USA PATRIOT Act and subsequent reauthorizations does not include authority to obtain certain firearm records.

Voting Nay (this is the good vote not to table the issue but to debate and then vote on the amendment.)

Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
DeMint (R-SC)
Enzi (R-WY)
Heller (R-NV)
Lee (R-UT)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Shelby (R-AL)
Tester (D-MT)

S. Amdt 365 To limit suspicious activity reporting requirements to requests from law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.

Voting Nay (this is the good vote not to table the issue but to debate and then vote on the amendment.)

DeMint (R-SC)
Heller (R-NV)
Lee (R-UT)
Paul (R-KY)

S.990 The PATRIOT Act Extension

Voting Nay

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Coons (D-DE)
Durbin (D-IL)
Franken (D-MN)
Harkin (D-IA)
Heller (R-NV)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lee (R-UT)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Paul (R-KY)
Sanders (I-VT)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Wyden (D-OR)

There is one name missing from this last list that was on the first two. I agree with and like a lot of what Sen. Jim DeMint is doing, but as a TEA Partier, he should have had more Constitutional fortitude to stay with Paul on this one and vote Nay one more time. Yes this effort was a success as it got the ball rolling, but shows we have a ton of work still to do.

It’s OK for us to object to a Healthcare bill that is really long and voted on in short order, but it is apparently not OK to object to rauthorizing a bill with no debate that had no debate when it was passed. Because both Republicans and Democrats fought Paul on this, including our very own RINO Sen, Mitch McConnell (we need to Ditch Mitch in the next Senate election) In fact only one copy was available to read back when it originally passed. Interesting to note the original framework for the “PATRIOT” Act was written in 1995 under the Clinton Administration by the Sen. Joe Biden (or at least some of his staff lawyers, I seriously doubt Biden is intelligent enough to write a law of this nature.)

Unfortunetly it passed and on top of that Obama is not here to sign it as he is off gallivanting in Europe. So guess what we are just going to have robot sign it, it’s called the autopen. You know if we just need a robot to do this job why on earth do we elect a president anyway….oh that’s right so he can travel the globe making a fool of himself.