There's hope yet.

"Key provisions of the Patriot Act are going to expire next year..." <Applause>

....But don't despair! It's not too late to renew! Act now and we'll throw in this free George W. Bush bobble-head doll!

did you read the fine print?
it's probably the kind of deal where you must check some box or something to cancel, or they charge you and run it for another term.

Heh. I was referring to the impromptu applause that Congress gave Dubya. They were applauding the impending expiration of those clauses, and not his proposal to renew them.

"Key provisions of the Patriot Act are going to expire next year..."

Oh, No!

Time to finish building my bomb shelter, I guess. All those hundreds of terrorists that the Patriot Act has been catching and imprisoning will now go unchecked. Nobody will be safe anywhere in America.

Let's see... I'll need plenty of dried food, water, better stock up on weapons because Osama is on the way...

tanstaafl.

On a more serious note, does the expiration of those provisions mean that those people who have been arrested without charges or access to legal representation will have those rights violations amended in some manner?

surely you jest.

Not until the Supreme Court hears it, or the "Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act" passes:

USA PATRIOT Act