“There are no checks and balances here, and we’ve got to restore them.” Sensenbrenner, Republican who drafted the Patriot Act II.
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/statuses/344257995363983360
Sensenbrenner pointed out the government administration can monitor who journalists are in contact with, in order to avoid criticism. They’ve done the same with protesters, such as those participating in Occupy Wall Street.
https://twitter.com/saskboy/status/353981458135789568
Obama could have ended the Patriot Act in 2011, or at the very least exposed the illegal spying on all Americans’ electronic communications, but he signed the bill with an autopen instead. There were not 2/3rds of the House and Senate voting in favour of the Act, so he could have vetoed it. He didn’t, and he’ll wear that mistake, because he re-authorized an out-of-control NSA.
“The Senate voted 72-23 for the legislation to renew three terrorism-fighting authorities. The House passed the measure 250-153 on an evening vote.”
He’s been lying about it:
“Obama said that a second program collecting global internet traffic only applies to foreigners. “This does not apply to US citizens and it does not apply to people in the United States,” he said.”
If you need to read a Republican’s take on the Patriot Act, here’s McConnell. It’s very hard to stomach, with all the gloating and scaremongering.
It’s difficult to believe this story is a month old, and no one in the US Government has been charged with a crime. Assange is correct in saying the Rule of Law has collapsed in America.
Watch Obama promise to end warrantless wire-tapping:
AGAIN: Check out this Matt Taibbi blog post. What’s the real headline?
“This whole thing, this [Manning] trial, it all comes down to one simple equation. If you can be punished for making public a crime, then the government doing the punishing is itself criminal.”
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