In the Course of Human Events: House passes White House & GOP Patriot Act bill that undermines civil liberties and privacy, Senate still can stop it.

The House of Representatives passed the Patriot Act compromise bill today 251 Yays (for) and 174 Nays (against); see the roll call. Now all hope turns to the Senate where there is bi-partisan opposition to it.

Russ Feingold has posted the Dear Colleague letter (download) on his website. Over at the TPM Cafe he's said the signers have pledged to vote against cloture (they'll support a filibuster). Those Patriots are: Larry Craig (R-ID), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Sununu (R-NH), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), John Kerry (D-MA), and Barack Obama (D-IL). Hoorah for Illinois!

Contact your Senators and tell them you want them to support the Filibuster. If you're in Illinois let our Senators know you're behind them. As Senator Feingold said yesterday,

The President could sign Patriot Act reauthorization legislation into law tomorrow if the House would just take up and pass the compromise Senate bill that was approved unanimously in the Senate earlier this year – a bill that includes important and reasonable privacy protections. The American people have been calling for a new look at the Patriot Act for four long years. It's time to get the job done right. I want to thank the groups that are here today for all their work, and pledge to them, and to the public, that I will keep fighting in the Senate.

Senator Feingold gave a speech on the Senate floor today. You can get the text from his website. It's worth reading. I'll post more on it when I get time.

Meanwhile, for everyone in Illinois here's the roll of our Representatives to Congress. Call or Email your Representative and let them know what you think of their vote.