In a press release emailed this morning, Congressman Mike Capuano said that he will work to change three expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act and continue his efforts to reform the way the government collects information in national security investigations.
He also criticized Attorney General Martha Coakley’s public defense of the PATRIOT Act at a crucial juncture in the reauthorization of the measure in 2005.
Capuano explained that Congress has already held hearings regarding three provisions that are set to expire on December 31, 2009: the “lone wolf” provision, roving wiretaps, and access to business records. Caps says that proposals offered respectively by the Chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees would reauthorize these measures for another 4 years with minimal reforms.
“For too long the PATRIOT Act has infringed on our civil liberties by allowing the federal government overly broad access to personal and privileged information. This latest effort to reauthorize the three expiring provisions offers us an opportunity to improve the process by building in safeguards and ensuring that citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights are protected. I will strongly oppose any effort to reauthorize PATRIOT Act provisions without the necessary reforms, and I will fight to make sure the Constitution is respected.”According to the Capuano release, Martha Coakley has not opposed the PATRIOT Act to the same degree.
"As Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley joined a Bush appointed US Attorney to publically defend the PATRIOT Act and claim that those opposing the act didn’t understand it. According to a June 28, 2005 Lowell Sun report headlined 'Patriot Act criticized unfairly, law-enforcement officials say,' Coakley participated in a panel discussion of the legislation at Middlesex Community College.
In remarks quoted by that newspaper, Coakley belittled the PATRIOT Act’s threat to civil liberties, claiming 'your insurance company knows more about you than the federal government does.' Coakley further suggested opposition to the PATRIOT Act was rooted in ignorance, asserting: 'When people don't understand how things work, they're willing to say "Can't do it, won't do it," and they tie the government's hands' (Lowell Sun, 6/28/05).According to the Capuano campaign, Coakley’s defense of the PATRIOT Act was especially troubling as it came at a critical moment, when Congress was about to debate legislation to reauthorize the controversial law.
"Even as Coakley spoke in support, Mike Capuano and many other Democrats were fighting to rein in Bush Administration abuses and strengthen Congressional oversight, while preserving those tools legitimately needed to combat terrorism. When these efforts were defeated by the Republican majority, Mike and every other member of the Massachusetts delegation in the US House voted against the reauthorization bill. 1 The Democratic caucus overall broke nearly 4 to 1 against the bill."The Capuano campaign then hit Coakley with a flip-flopping charge, noting:
"In a white paper released November 4, 2009, during the heat of her current run for US Senate, Martha Coakley apparently had a change of heart, stating that the PATRIOT Act “sacrificed some of our most treasured civil liberties.” Here, she acknowledged that the PATRIOT Act went too far and changes are desperately needed in order to protect constitutional rights. Martha Coakley has not explained her switch of position on this crucial issue, instead choosing to quietly flip flop so that her stated position now reflects the will of the majority of Democratic voters in the state of Massachusetts."
16 comments:
WHAT!?!?!?!
I was told Martha Coakley has been a staunch supporter of civil rights her entire career.
Way to go Mike! Thanks for FINALLY pointing out Coakley's knee-jerk, pro-cop, anti-civil liberties bent.
The facts are clear: Coakley is a dyed-in-blue cop/prosector, always has been, always will be. Every aspect of her life - whether marrying a Cambridge cop or spending her entire professional career locking people up - is a study in somebody who is all about authority.
Can there be any question now as to who is the real and experienced progressive in this campaign?
She is where the wind blows. Profile in flip flopping.
Guess the op research guys Caps hired last summer-for a supposed Congressional race even though he has no opponent and we know he said he hadn't even thought about running until at least 2 weeks after TK,s death-have paid off. What a load of manure.
Sour puss.
If Coakley would come out of the protective custody of Dennis Newman we might get an answer to the flip flopping, but that won't happen. That might show depthening....
Yes, what a load of manure that Coakley would be so flippant about our civil liberties. And what a load of manure she is now trying to sell us that she opposed the Patriot Act.
Teflon Martha will find a way to avoid the issue.
Wow, Capuano supporters showing some serious anger on here. That's not going to win this one. Angry candidates rarely win.
Yeah. Unfortunately, stiffs win all the time. Can you imagine Kerry and Coakley together? Clench-jaw Fest.
Coakley is not a stiff. She's just not as fiery as Caps. Nothing wrong with that, just a different way of going about things.
Ha ha ha, that's a funny one. Coakley is to stiff as Carrot Ttop is to red hair.
That's a terrible and incredibly lame argument any way you want to slice it. If you're falling back on Carrot Top analogies to "prove" your point, I think that seals it.
Seals what? That Coakley is a stiff? That was sealed the second she refused to let the Herald reporter see the Halloween candy ... or maybe when she sang "I Enjoy Being a Girl" in front of the press ... or maybe today when she said the best thing George Bush did was "raise" his daughters. Am I doing a better job making my argument?
None of those have anything to do with being stiff. But I'm pretty sure your definition would be anything Coakley does regardless. But who really cares if she's "stiff" or not. If you wanna argue against her positions or work as AG, go right ahead. But this whole body language and demeanor analysis is a waste of time.
I don't think it is about being stiff as much as it is having demonstrated a complete lack of passion on every issue. That's a big problem for me.
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