Democrats Might Filibuster Patriot Act

This might turn into something big. Frankly, I’m not sure at this point if the Patriot Act is good or bad. John Hinderaker say,

Senate Democrats say they will launch a filibuster to prevent the extension of the Patriot Act, which expires at the end of the year. If they are successful, a wall between intelligence and law enforcement agencies will once again prevent them from sharing information about terrorist activities within the U.S.

That sounds bad. But then I read this,

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, held a press conference yesterday to tout part of the bill she's worked on for years aimed at cracking down on the manufacture and sale of methamphetamine.

Part of the Patriot Act is about methamphetamine? Politicians can add riders and amendments that are sometimes worse than what the bill was originally about. By now the Patriot Act is probably a pork-laden monstrosity.

I hope some clear-thinking masochist takes the time to read the entire Patriot Act and explain to me if it is on balance good or bad.