Let's not kid ourselves.

[kentuck]

The "Freedom Act" is nothing more than the "Patriot Act" with a new name and a little make-up.

The government is not going to stop spying on its citizens. They are not going to stop doing anything they are doing right now. Does anyone think they are going to stop construction on the huge info-collection compound out in Utah? Nothing is going to change - not even the mass collection of data by the NSA.

Your government cannot be trusted. They are still lying. Changing the name does not change the facts.

They have the technology to spy on the world and they are going to do it.

[Hoppy]

1. "A piece of shit, by any other color is still a piece of shit." Shakespeare

[Orrex]

2. Well, if it makes you feel any better...

They were 100% guaranteed to spy on us even without the PATRIOT act in the first place, so the whole thing is a dog and pony show intended to make CYA easier for the higher ups.

If the surveillance becomes an issue in the absence of legislative authorization, they'll simply classify the entire thing and declare it off-limits to the proles.

[Jester Messiah]

3. Maybe this is an opportune time to discuss the proper role of domestic intelligence agencies.

Is there a need for them? Does the job that they do really need doing? If so, is there a way to do it in a more above-board fashion, or must it by necessity be done in the shadows? Is civilian oversight doing what it ought?

Lots of questions. I don't think we can just say "to hell with 'em, they're evil let's get rid of them" without risk. Or, if we do, then we need some kind of replacement for them. In the end I think it's a nasty job but somebody's going to have to do it.

[Chipper Chat]

4. Rand Paul D-Ky brought this up.

Oh, wait.

[appalachiablue]

5. The average Londoner is photographed about 35 times a day from all the cameras

everywhere. Who knows what it is here.

[Thespian2]

6. Fortunately for the Corporate Government

of the US of A, most voters know very little about the people spying on them, closing the factories, stealing their money, screwing-over 99% of them...

Obama's actions quite clearly show that he is controlled by insurance companies, Big Pharma, fossil fuel industries, bankers,...he even kisses the ass of the Nike CEO...

Obama loves spying and drone attacks...progressive ideas and policies piss him off...note his treatment of Warren, Brown, Sanders and the few other progressives in the government.

[turbinetree]

7. For starters

this law is unconstitutional----------because we have the fourth amendment which was doing just fine. They have used hate and fear to attack the constitution-----------the question is why-------because they live in a paranoid state and they want the people to live in that world also.

And all of this because of Hassert / Frist and Bush and crew concocted, this unconstitutional bill called the Patriot act, which has morphed into a big payola scheme for firms to make money off the backs of the We the People to use fear and hate as capitalist tool for moola.

Ron Wyden and Russ Feingold tried to get this unconstitutional bill off the books but it was filibustered by one Mitch McConnell and his group of merry men and woman and they ran around saying that they were patriots and if you didn't support this you were unpatriotic ---------what a double standard of hypocrisy.

And this new renamed version is a continuation of this game of semantics with words.

Rand Paul joined "his" band wagon (and the MSM media is using him as a poster boy-----------not great) on this issue and is using this as a campaign slush fund in my opinion------------so if anyone thinks he is doing this just to do this, lets talk abortion rights, his Religious freedom stance, Marriage Equality and other acts he supports, he is an acolyte of the Ayn Rand concept of people and government---he waffles for his ego and agenda

[pampango]

8. Tea Party: Your government cannot be trusted. No government can ever be trusted. n/t

[kentuck]

9. Jefferson: Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

I would agree.

[Martin Eden]

10. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

George Orwell is a prophet.