Patriot Act to be renewed...

That's the rumor anyway. Secret meetings in dark alleys by mysterious Senators has gotten the renewal of the Patriot Act underway. The tentative deal would make permanent all but a handful of the expiring provisions, the sources said. Others would expire in seven years if not renewed by Congress. They include rules on wiretapping, obtaining business records under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and new standards for monitoring "lone wolf" terrorists who may be operating independent of a foreign agent or power. Permanent is a good thing.