It’s been almost four years since the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 put President Bush’s warrantless wiretap program on legal footing by authorizing broad, programmatic surveillance of Americans’ international communications. The only thing the public really knows about it so far is that it was almost immediately misused, resulting in “significant and systemic” overcollection of Americans’ purely domestic communications. Subsequent reporting revealed that the improperly “overcollected” communications could number in the millions, and included former president Clinton’s private e-mails. Be forewarned, the Senate does not have your back on this one. Nor your front, for that matter. No. The Senate (cognate with ‘senile’) in its infinite wisdom is steaming toward the renewal of these sweeping powers. No hearings. No debate. No public oversight. Not even a peep show put on for the dubious benefit of our elected public officials. Senator Ron Wyden for one. without hearings or debate.
Wyden has been lobbying (irony entirely unintentional) for more information since the get-go. Poor Ronnie. Maybe he shouldn’t have accepted that last AIPAC cheque…
Meanwhile, back in Utah, work continues on a multibillion dollar NSA decryption and data storage facility capable of storing all that information indefinitely. The only real check on this is activity is congressional oversight. That and what army of UFO’s is going to protect us from ourselves now?
Well…
What?
I’m waiting…- KBOO