The USA Freedom Act, pushed in the Senate by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D – VT), was introduced in the House of Representatives today by Reps. Justin Amash (R – MI) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R – WI). If passed, it would dramatically reform government surveillance authority, eliminating parts of the Patriot Act and effectively banning the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records.
“The days of unfettered spying on the American people are numbered,” insisted Amash, saying the bill “ceases the government’s unconstitutional surveillance.” Amash had previously introduced another bill aimed at ending the surveillance, but it was narrowly defeated.
This time around, the bill seems to have a lot more momentum, but a handful of surveillance state advocates remain on the offensive in Congress, selling the idea that even debating the issue was a risk of “America’s national security interest.”
NSA Chief Gen. Keith Alexander, though still denying materially everything that the NSA does ever really happened, was particularly vigorous in warning against the bill, insisting that the bill “would result in this nation being attacked.”
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also rejected the need for reform, insisting everything the NSA did was “legal,” though the legal vagaries that even allow that point to be argued clearly seem to justify some reform that would at least clarify how little privacy Americans should expect.
Sensenbrenner is my congressman. He was a author of the Patriot Act. He is totally disgusted with what the security services did wit it. He has tried to change all this mess. I am glad he has come around. Otherwise I was going to run against him. Of course I would never win. I am glad he is leading the reform with Amash.
So, one is left to wonder: is the problem that the government of the United States is bugging the entire planet, including its own citizens? Or is the problem that somebody has exposed this fact?
Contained within the answer to that question is the future of this nation.
There are those who are comfortable with and indeed comforted by the revelations, yet outraged at their coming to light. And there are those who are revolted by them and thankful that there are people of integrity and courage.
The future of this nation depends entirely upon how many feel which way, and are prepared to act upon their feelings. It is really no more complex, or simpler, than that.
And upon that starkly simple, complex fact depends whether this nation is entering deeper into the beginning of a long, dark winter’s nite, or the beginning of the birth of a spring’s new dawn.
Keep an eye on the amendments (and those who propose them!) that will be proposed to alter the bill. The surveillance state advocates are not going to give up without attempting to open loopholes that in the end will significantly neuter the bill – as they did with the ACA and bills to reign in Wall Street.
America consistently believes in equal opportunity, the opportunity for everyone in the world to be spied on equally. What other country can make that claim?
America consistently believes in equal opportunity, the opportunity for everyone in the world to be spied on equally. What other country can make that claim?
People put in these positions should undergo intense and indepth mental evaluatuons before beinbg allowed to assume such powers.
If the President ignores the results and objects of spying – where does that information go? and to whom and for what purpose?
These people are out of control!