(I’ve been in bed Friday with a severe headache, the kind which prevents coherent thought, or even standing up, but I’m back! No promises on coherent thoughts, though.)

On Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives voted 257-171 to reauthorize the USA PATRIOT Act, making permament 14 of 16 of its provisions, and extending for another ten years the final two provisions. The bill now goes to the Senate, which is expected to consider it this fall.

“The Patriot Act is a key part of our efforts to combat terrorism and protect the American people, and the Congress needs to send me a bill soon that renews the act without weakening our ability to fight terror,” President Bush said in a statement.

Most Republicans, like freedom-hating nutcase James Sensenbrenner, (R-Wis.) supported the bill, while most Democrats voted against it. “Passage of the [USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005] is vital to maintaining the post-9/11 law enforcement and intelligence reforms that have reduced America’s vulnerability to terrorist attack,” said Sensenbrenner, who sponsored the bill.

Sensenbrenner introduced this bill in the House on 11 July. Any guesses on how many people read it?

Oh, and before you even think of saying anything about how it’s easier to fight drug dealers than terrorists, let me remind you how many innocent people have lost their money, their cars, their homes, their jobs and even their lives in the misguided, anti-American “War on Drugs.” Watch as they try to extend this to terrorism now, and you can bet the freedom that they claim to be fighting for is going right down the drain. “Guilty until proven innocent” was not an American legal process until recently; now it’s becoming the norm.