Friday, June 7, 2013

Never Fear!

Congress to the rescue
Lawmakers will review domestic surveillance laws in the wake of leaked document showing the National Security Agency has collected millions of phone records, which provoked an uproar in the Capitol.

The government's admission of "PRISM," a classified program in which data is mined from the servers of nine leading Internet companies, is also expected to garner scrutiny.

  The Hill
Ooooh. They’re trembling in their boots at the NSA.
Congress has repeatedly voted to reauthorize language in the 2001 PATRIOT Act granting intelligence agencies broad discretion to collect phone data but many lawmakers were not fully aware of the implication of their votes.
Need we say anything more?

Okay, we will.
Democrats emphasized the broad surveillance program began under the administration of former President George W. Bush.
Your point?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) would review the law and the surveillance program.

“Is the program perfect? Of course not,” said Reid. “I think what we should do is make sure Sen. Feinstein has an opportunity to review what has gone on.

[...]

Feinstein expressed concerns over how The Guardian obtained a secret court order authorizing the surveillance and said it warrants an investigation.

[...]

Feinstein and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), the ranking Republican on the Intelligence Committee, said the blanket surveillance practices have been going on for seven years and lawmakers were informed of it.

[...]

Feinstein said colleagues should have known about the details of the surveillance program from briefings offered by the Intelligence panel.

“They don’t come,” she said.
See? No problem. Now calm down and go back to your room, or we’ll have to sedate you. For your own good. Meanwhile, Diane will find out what traitor leaked this information.

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