...And FISA Is Renewed, With All Its Problems Still Intact
from the no-surprise dept
After three key amendments that would have brought some oversight to the NSA's ongoing spying program were rejected last night, and the final such amendment was rejected this morning, there was little doubt that the Senate would move ahead with renewing FISA in its current and highly problematic form. Immediately following the rejection of the Wyden amendment, that's just what they did, voting 73-23 to extend FISA for another five years.
There was never really any chance of FISA not being renewed, but the proposed amendments would have added vital checks to the law, most of which seemed to be just common-sense—such as requiring a report to Congress on the program's privacy impact. With all these changes rejected, the renewal means another five-year virtual carte blanche for the NSA to collect data on US citizens under a secret interpretation of the law that the public is not allowed to see, without even providing an estimate on how many Americans have had their privacy violated.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: 4th amendment, faa, fisa, nsa
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
where's the list of who voted which way
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: where's the list of who voted which way
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR05949:@@@X
Scroll down to the entry of 12/28/12 (second one) and click on the Record Vote Number link.
I didn't give you a direct direct link because you might find the wealth of information on that page as a good place to explore this travesty's history.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Wyden should have never lifted the hold. As if I couldn't hate my country even more they SOMEHOW managed to find a way.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
At least, that's what people keep saying will fix the system..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Vote for the good ones
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The US Governmentt has been spying on Americans much longer than most people think.
To believe any government would allow for the internet to be built without the ability to tap into it is foolish.
Let's not forget how the internet was invented.
There's no such thing as privacy on the internet.
I would strongly recommend those who want to make it tremendously difficult to be snooped upon start using VPN and proxy services.
Even this, however, isn't infallible.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Vote
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&a mp;session=2&vote=00236
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Molest the President, Then?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This is Bush's fault
Their opponents should start running pro-patriot ads that attack Congressmen and women that erode our rights. Label it the Defense of the War on the Constitution.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This is Bush's fault
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This is Bush's fault
But let's think about why Bush is to blame and so many Pepe voted against hours policies in the 2006 elections.
First, you had the Republicans revving us full speed to fascism by taking is to war twice as well as his attempt to privatize Social Security. Finally, liberals could fight against neo-conservatism and get more representation. That's why they took over. But most were still pretty center-right in their thinking and it screwed them over in 2010.
My entire point though, is that the country is deeply left and both parties were battling to represent the rich. Democrats, however, softened the blow while keeping the same policies in place. In essence, it's a shell game of two parties fighting to represent the rich and leaving the nation to rot in that battle.
The saddest thing about it is that this battle happened when Rome fell as an empire. History just loves repeating itself...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This is Bush's fault
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
In my experience politicians tend not to listen to the serfs they own.
If you think you own yourself, try not paying "taxes" (euphemism for theft) and see what happens in the end (after all the letters and warnings).
Eventually men in blue costumes will come to kidnap you and place you in cage. If you resist, you could be shot.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Support Wikileaks
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The roll calls for each of the amendment votes
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?c ongress=112&session=2&vote=00233
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/ro ll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00234
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/ LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00235
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This a not conspiracy theory, this is politics in truest form. When many politicians come out the woodwork to make noise on the same bill, it's time to glance around for what they hope will remain unnoticed.
Larry and Curly never caught on to Moe's method (wave left hand until person is distracted by it, then smack person with right hand). Our failure as citizens to engage the political process, the stuff that happens after elections, will make stooges of us all.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jaa Wir konnen!!
"Jaa Wir konnen!!" Everybody believed they indeed could and Hitler was chosen, after a few months parlement was outlawed and Hitler was the sole leader of the Germans. In 1938 he was even considered for the Nobel peace price. Seven years later the country was torn in two and there was but broken stones, deathcamps, gaschambers and ovens. The people sifting through the rubble evaluated their election of the fuhrer and remembered the fact that he gave amazing speeches. He enthralled the people with words. Typicly people would say "perhaps his talkgiving abilities were to thin a basis to elect him" "maybe we should have read his book"
Obama has won the Nobel peace price already I believe. His book is probaly a friendly book about things he has observed
[ link to this | view in chronology ]