Bay Area Representatives Favor Dropping PATRIOT Act Provisions

As reported in yesterday's Contra Costa Times, Congress is due to reconsider several provisions in the PATRIOT Act this month, and several representatives from the East Bay are leaning towards letting them expire.

Of course, many of the most noxious aspects of the law, such as its invasions of financial privacy, will remain in force until the joyful, joyful day it's repealed. At issue are a number of provisions that are set to expire at the end of May, including moving wiretaps of surveillance targets, access to "tangible items" like library records as part of surveillance, and the awful "lone wolf" provisions allowing surveillance of non-citizens in the U.S. even if they're unconnected to any terrorist group. And to their credit, Reps. John Garamendi, George Miller, Barbara Lee, and Pete Stark have all signaled they will vote against extending them.