Good News! Americans are Taking Back Their Liberties

The police state violations of individual rights under the Patriot Act will be coming to an end thanks to a coalition between the Democrats and the Tea Party. From an article in the Washington Post:

Patriot Act extension fails in the House by seven votes

House Republicans suffered an embarrassing setback Tuesday when they fell seven votes short of extending provisions of the Patriot Act, a vote that served as the first small uprising of the party's tea-party bloc.

The bill to reauthorize key parts of the counter-terrorism surveillance law, which expire at the end of the month, required a super-majority to pass under special rules reserved for non-controversial measures.

But it fell short of the required two-thirds after 26 Republicans bucked their leadership, eight of them freshman lawmakers elected in November's midterm elections. With most Democrats opposing the extension, the final tally was 277 members in favor of extension, and 148 opposed.

But of course, the Republicans aren't going to give up on their little police state. They will be bringing this back for another vote under different rules which remove the need for a supermajority. (So why didn't Obama use this maneuver over the past two years to pass his legislation? Why did he let Republicans box him in with a requirement for supermajorities for all of his measures?)

Notice that Obama, that supposed "liberal", sides with the right wing in wanting a police state:

The White House said in a statement Tuesday that it "does not object" to extending the three Patriot Act provisions until December. However, it added, the administration "would strongly prefer" an extension until December 2013, noting that the longer timeline "provides the necessary certainty and predictability" that law enforcement agencies require while at the same time ensuring that Congress can continue to review the law's effectiveness.

The Senate is considering three competing timelines, in addition to the House legislation. Among them are proposals that would permanently extend the three provisions or extend them through 2013.