Patriot Act

Slipping away

“But, the bigger surprise: even with a deadline looming, warnings of impending doom from surveillance justifiers, and pressure from Senate leadership, the extension received less support than the reform bill. In other words, more senators believe that the prospect of completely losing some surveillance authority is less damaging than allowing the government to continue its…

FUD

“In a last-ditch effort to scare lawmakers into preserving unpopular and much-abused surveillance authorities, the Senate Republican leadership and some intelligence officials are warning that allowing Section 215 of the Patriot Act to sunset would compromise national security. (One particularly crass example from Senator Lindsey Graham: “Anyone who neuters this program is going to be…

Defender of the Surveillance State

“On the other side is a camp led by Mitch McConnell, who has proposed legislation extending the government’s spying powers without any new limitations or safeguards. Even before Thursday, McConnell’s case against reform was grounded in an almost surreal denial of the facts about the NSA program. McConnell has insisted that the NSA’s telephone program…

The Patriot Act Balance of Power

“If Section 215 sunsets, pro-reform advocates will have  more leverage to push for stronger surveillance reforms than those currently on the table, because the new status quo will tip more in favor of those who oppose mass surveillance under the Patriot Act. However, they will have to strongly push back against fearmongering from anti-reformists and…

Defending a Free Society

“The focus of the senator’s alarm, and rightly so, was a pair of bipartisan renewal bills in both houses that fall short of remedying the problem. The bills would cut back, but not end, the domestic phone-data sweeps that eroded individual rights while accomplishing little in protecting the nation. They avoid the issue of bulk…