Congress Disgracefully Approves the FISA Warrantless Spying Bill for Five More Years

[Fire Walk With Me]

Congress Disgracefully Approves the FISA Warrantless Spying Bill for Five More Years, Rejects All Privacy Amendments

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/12/congress-disgracefully-approves-fisa-warrantless-eavesdropping-bill-five-more

Today, after just one day of rushed debate, the Senate shamefully voted on a five-year extension to the FISA Amendments Act, an unconsitutional law that openly allows for warrantless surveillance of Americans' overseas communications.

Incredibly, the Senate rejected all the proposed amendments that would have brought a modicum of transparency and oversight to the government's activities, despite previous refusals by the Executive branch to even estimate how many Americans are surveilled by this program or reveal critical secret court rulings interpreting it.

The common-sense amendments the Senate hastily rejected were modest and written with the utmost deference for national security concerns. The Senate had months to consider them, but waited until four days before the law was to expire to bring them to the floor, and then used the contrived time crunch to stifle any chances of them passing.

(More at the link. Via @Thomas_Drake1 and @_cypherpunks_ )

[msongs]

1. don't worry, the POTUS will veto this....right? nt

[woo me with science]

2. Gee, ya think?

Obama, Democrats Push to Make Bush Spying Laws Permanent
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022084702

The Enemy Expatriation Act - another attack on legitimate protest and dissent like NDAA
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022072450

FBI Investigated 'Occupy' As Possible 'Domestic Terrorism' Threat, Internal Documents Show
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022061578

NDAA 2013 - Indefinite detention without trial is back
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014342985

Congress, at Last Minute, Drops Requirement to Obtain Warrant to Monitor Email
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014348022

Democratic-controlled US Senate approves...new $633 billion war bill
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022060449

Purposely aiming bombs at children: "It kind of opens our aperture."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021931748

Obama Administration To Offer More Than 20 Million Acres in Western Gulf of Mexico for Oil/Drilling
http://upload.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1896005

Obama's (Corporate) Education Reform Push is Bad Education Policy
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x221922

Trans Pacific Partnership is NAFTA On Steroids
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1914478

NYT slams the government for choosing not to prosecute HSBC top-bankers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021965407

Why is Social Security Under Attack from Obama, when it ADDS NOTHING to the deficit???
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022065493

Obama: "Too many of us have been interested in defending programs as written in 1938."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2069607

[kenny blankenship]

5. Don't Worry So Much! When we elect a Democratic President

all this Fascist police state crap will be undone!

[woo me with science]

9. The dog is really CUTE!

Nothing bad could happen when the dog is SO CUTE!

[woo me with science]

3. K&R Every single day, another betrayal.

Have we had enough yet, America?

[snot]

4. K&R'd!

[Solly Mack]

6. K&R

[cui bono]

7. Remind me...

why are we voting again?

No one is representing us.

[Lionessa]

10. +1

[Lionessa]

8. What choice do they have anymore, really?

Their wealthy overlords are beginning to be afraid of us 98% lowlifes and they want the full force of military and police and judicial systems to be prepared to squelch any populace uprising, even peaceful ones.

[woo me with science]

12. You put that so simply,

but what a chilling comment it is.

Thank you.

[NeoConsSuck]

14. Why do you think Walker in Wisconsin

didn't impose his anti-union measures on the police unions?

[RomneyLies]

11. One bright side to this

It isn't permanent,...yet.

[DirkGently]

13. Too many Dems opposed transparency measures.

The entire domestic spying industry is an evil, money-sucking, destructive mess. To hear that Dems suggested that any measures to reel it in would be inviting "another 9/11" is sickening.

Inexcusable.

[bullwinkle428]

15. Bipartisanship we can all believe in!!

Kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya!

[indepat]

16. Much of the Bill of Rights is being trampled when, at the same time, outrageously

broad interpretations of the sacrosanct Second Amendment proliferate. Maybe Congress is taking junior's pronouncement that the Constitution is just a piece of paper to heart. What remnants of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness the Congress may leave intact, a crazed gunman with a weapon of mass carnage on the hip can take away in an instant. Oh, the joys of living in a land where a far right-wing worldview is king.

[woo me with science]

17. K&R