Why, oh why, can't we have a minority party with a spine?

Democrats cave in yet again and agree to extend Patriot Act's worst provisions.

House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement Thursday to extend the USA Patriot Act, the government's premier anti-terrorism law, before it expires at the end of the month. But a Democratic senator threatened a filibuster to block the compromise.

Correction. Not all Democrats and independents are spineless. But there's certainly not enough of them left to build the backbone of a model rodent. Here's a few words from one person who is at least attempting to teach the others how to get up off their knees and walk like humans. (A precious few more are listed below.)

"I will do everything I can, including a filibuster, to stop this Patriot Act conference report, which does not include adequate safeguards to protect our constitutional freedoms," said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who was the only senator to vote against the original version of the Patriot Act.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., announced that the negotiating committee had reached an agreement that would extend for four years two of the Patriot Act's most controversial provisions — authorizing roving wiretaps and permitting secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries. Those provisions would expire in four years unless Congress acted on them again.

Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada intends to vote against the measure as currently drafted, according to an aide.

Feingold and five other senators from both parties issued a statement that said, "We believe this conference report will not be able to get through the Senate." They said they wouldn't support it in any form.

The other senators are Republicans Larry Craig of Idaho, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Ken Salazar of Colorado.

We're going to go down in flames on this one, but it will be useful in upcoming elections to remember those (yes, even the Republicans) who took a stand today.

Many portions of the (un)Patriot(ic) Act do nothing but take rights which law enforcement already had, through normal, judicially supervised channels, to pursue dangerous criminals, and extend them to be used without such oversight against citizens who have done nothing to incur such intrusion. Nothing, that is, beyond attending the wrong church, having the wrong skin color, or living with the wrong gender mate. People seem to have had things far too easy for far too long. They are living in some fantasy world where the idea of tyranny here in our own country is beyond their imagination. What they forget, in their neocon inspired frenzy over "activists judges", is that the judicial oversight in question is the one barrier in our system between them and a potential police state.

For the religious in the crowd, I can only say, God help us all. You are selling off your freedoms and rights - bought with the blood, sweat and tears of the generations before you - for nothing more than a fantasy.