(WASHINGTON) — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a two-year extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (“FISA 702”), a controversial warrantless spying authority, and in an extremely narrow tie vote, rejected critical reforms to stop rampant abuse of the law ...
Not a good result. The good amendment to add a warrant requirement failed on a tie vote; bad amendments to expand the scope of warrantless wiretapping passed. Next step: a Senate vote.
What if they never wrote "bin Laden Determined to Strike US" because they didn't know? Would you still think they were doing their jobs as you sipped your morning coffee atop the WTC?
The Patriot Act* didn't exist before 9/11. Your argument is invalid.
Also, the NSA can get the FBI to get a warrant for the person in the US. We already have mechanisms for monitoring communications in the US.
* It's actually called the USA PATRIOT Act, which is an acronym for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism." I prefer the acronym U SAP AT RIOT/
That's it isn't it. You don't understand the program, and the result is its bad.
Section 702 is only the current iteration of a legal problem that has been brought to congress by FISA users since its inception. It really has nothing to do with the Patriot Act, and more to do with the inability of Congress.
You don't understand how FISA was implemented. You'd rather be consumed by things you don't know about than become aware of things that are totally out of hand.
For instance, up the string I said that the courts have ruled that mobile location tracking wasn't an issue where a warrant was needed. Not only that, but you don't know mobile location tracking is commercially available. Anyone can buy the data, and that's wrong. Senator Ron Wydon has been working on this for years. Instead of being worried about all the rights you have that are not being taken away, worry about the those that are.