this is interesting. attached to the police state patriot act is a bill that would limit the amount of cold medicine a person can buy to fight meth. i though the patriot act was to in theory to fight terrorists. but i suspect the real purpose of the patriot act is to declare war on the american people and flush the bill of rights down the toilet!!! and the police state thugs that voted for this bill from arizona are Republican Reps. Jeff Flake, Trent Franks, J.D. Hayworth, Jim Kolbe, Rick Renzi and John Shadegg. Original Article House OKs broad plan to help fight meth Pamela Brogan Gannett News Service Dec. 15, 2005 12:00 AM WASHINGTON - Consumers would be limited to the amount of cold medicine they could purchase a month under a measure the House approved Wednesday to choke the illicit use and production of methamphetamine. The House passed a plan to restrict the sale of meth's primary ingredients pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, commonly found in popular cold medicines. "Meth has become the drug of choice," said Majority Leader Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. who co-sponsored the bill in the House with Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind. "It started out as a rural drug but has become more urban." Law enforcement officials said the legislation was long overdue. "This is going to be a great help for law enforcement," said Capt. Steve Dalton of the Branson, Mo., Police Department who headed an anti-meth task force until August. "Local law enforcement has never let up on this but now we will get a boost." But the fate of the meth measure is uncertain because it was approved as part of the USA Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism law that faces a Senate filibuster threat. Methamphetamine was identified as the nation's top drug problem ahead of cocaine, marijuana and heroin in a July 5 survey by the National Association of Counties. Local and federal officials seized 17,170 illegal meth labs last year, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Missouri had the highest number of seizures, with 2,799. DEA Director Karen Tandy called the meth problem a "deadly menace" to users, law enforcement, localities, employers and the 15,000 children who have been rescued from illegal meth labs. "We are all affected by the meth epidemic," she said. Souder said the bill "is designed to tackle meth trafficking at every stage, from precursor chemical control to international monitoring, and from environmental regulation to child protection." http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1215patriot15.html Patriot Act passes House; Senate outlook murky Deborah Barfield Berry Gannett News Service Dec. 15, 2005 12:00 AM WASHINGTON - The House passed a renewed version of the Patriot Act on Wednesday, but the controversial anti-terrorism law appeared to be in trouble as Senate Democrats and some Republicans stepped up efforts to temporarily extend the expiring provisions so lawmakers can continue to negotiate. The Republican-controlled House passed the conference report on the Patriot Act on a 251-174 vote. The compromise proposal re-authorizes key provisions of the law, including ones that gives federal officials more access to library and medical records, that are set to expire by the end of the month. In Arizona's delegation, Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva and Ed Pastor voted against the measure. Republican Reps. Jeff Flake, Trent Franks, J.D. Hayworth, Jim Kolbe, Rick Renzi and John Shadegg voted for it. Democrats and civil liberty groups complained that the measure fails to ensure a balance between civil liberties and national security. They particularly point to a lack of judicial review for the government's access to personal records. The measure now goes to the Senate, where Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., has threatened a filibuster, a tactic used to kill a bill with endless debate. The Senate was expected to decide as early as today whether to limit debate and vote perhaps as soon as Friday on the conference report. Meanwhile, Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has garnered support from Democrats and some Republicans to extend the existing provisions of the act by three months so lawmakers can work out differences in the new version. "Nobody's asking to end the bill," Leahy said. "We're still working on it." The House on Wednesday defeated a similar proposal by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. Conyers had said negotiations should be extended so House and Senate lawmakers can craft a bipartisan agreement. President Bush has urged Congress to pass the measure, arguing it is an important tool in the fight against terrorism. On Tuesday, the administration dispatched Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to the Capitol to lobby for support. "In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment," Bush said in a statement after the House vote. Without the measure, the country would be more at risk, said James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He said a three-month extension is not "feasible" and complained that there had been plenty of discussions with Leahy. "I wish he were willing to compromise as well," Sensenbrenner said. The Associated Press contributed to this article.